As the festive season approaches, I find myself resenting the decision to become vegan before Christmas. How will I survive Christmas without mince pies? What about Christmas pudding?! I even had a nightmare that my dad asked me to cut up the Christmas cake while I couldn’t have any. Yes; it’s certainly not an easy time for us ‘lil’ vegans. But luckily, this is 2015 – and these are some very easy ways to enjoy an animal product free Christmas.
1.    Vegan Advent Calenders!
Although there is a wide variety of these online, I found mine in Holland and Barrett. There are also some in The Natural Store, even including a no added sugar for the ultra health conscious vegans out there! Mine was even fairtrade.
2.    Gifts for your vegan
Chocolate is a very popular gift at this time of year, but a lot of people think that vegans cannot indulge in such treats. But fear not, for Booja Booja have so many delightful treats that you will be spoiled for choice. From selections of chocolates to boxes of truffles, there is a lot to choose from – and they taste amazing!
3.    TOFURKY
A craze that’s gripping the nation! Or at least, the vegan nation. As the name may suggest, this is the perfect vegan substitute for your Christmas turkey. You can find this in stores, but I personally have only seen it in slice form in Holland and Barrett. However, online you can get a loaf of tofurky which sometimes comes stuffed, and you can even find versions that have been shaped into a turkey form if you’re really looking to recreate that turkey eating experience. These are available from a variety of places so I will not link any, but if you type “tofurky uk” into google, you’ll find a lot of options.
4.    Christmas Pudding
While you may be able to buy a vegan version of this in different health shops, ASDA’s Christmas Pudding is vegan already! And at £3.50, it certainly doesn’t break the bank. You can find it here http://groceries.asda.com/product/christmas-cakes-puddings/asda-christmas-pudding/1780597
5.    Get creative!
“One Green planet” has loads of brilliant Christmassy recipes on there, including variations on the pumpkin pie, plenty of chocolatey treats, and even mince pies! These can be found here: http://www.onegreenplanet.org/vegan-recipe/5-perfectly-sweet-christmas-pies/ (and to get the recipes, just click on the descriptions of the baked good on the right of the picture)
6.    Hot Chocolate
More for the winter season than just Christmas, but I was very lost for a few moments when I realised I may not be able to enjoy a little hot chocolate treat when I was out and about. But then I discovered that Caffe Nero and Starbucks’ classic hot chocolate are both vegan with soya milk! This may not be news to you, but I was very excited when I found this out. (Note: Costa’s hot chocolate is NOT vegan with soya milk!)
And there you have it; Christmas made even better. Happy Holidays, everyone!Â