I just don't typically celebrate any holidays in general. My family is scattered across the US and when we get together it's just to be together, not for a holiday. Plus, I don't agree with the foundation that Thanksgiving was started on. As, for the other holidays, I'm not Christian so they don't mean anything to me. :)
i love your comments on silence when people poke fun at veganism. i totally do feel pressure to laugh jokes off, because i live in oklahoma and it's so out of the norm here to be vegan. sometimes you just need permission from someone else to stand up for yourself, and i'll be doing that :)
I know someone who almost always finds an excuse to say, "Susan, you have the cleanest diet" or "Susan, you eat so clean!" Next time if know she is coming, I plan on bringing so much candy and chips and offer some to her........
The broth question is tough. When I first ate at my boyfriends mothers place they knew I don`t eat meat and she made a lunch keeping that in mind, but she also made a clear soup for everyone including various things inside, one of them being meat balls. So I just said "No, but thank you" to the soup and she asked why and I explained that I wouldn`t eat it if the meat balls were cooked inside. The next time I came over she made soup again this time without meat balls and I declined politely again because I didn`t want to bother everyone asking what broth she uses and I assumed it would be chicken broth. I just didn`t want to be annoying. But she got kinda sad and quiet and asked me what was wrong so I told her about my concern and she has let me know that she always uses vegetable broth anyway and showed me her package and had me read the ingredients to make sure it was suitable for me. So since then I can happily eat soup at her place.
One thing that helps me when I am around people who eat meat, is remembering my roots as a vegan. Yes, I get it now, but there was many many years where I did not get it at all, and I just tell myself this person (or these people) are at where I was once at. And that helps. And yes, bringing amazingly delicious mindblowing vegan dishes also helps. When people eat it and go "That's vegan?" it makes them rethink vegan food which I think a lot of people think are either lettuce or the really pricey stuff. I've also made vegan mashed potatoes with olive oil instead of butter which comes out really delicious and is actually a recipe I got from a chef who isn't vegan but she comes from a part of Italy where they happen to use oil instead of dairy, and sharing that tid bit also makes me people re-think vegan food.
This year is my first vegan thanksgiving and my mom and I are hosting! My family is not vegan and neither are the people coming over but we're making all but one of the sides vegan, and there's a lot! They're having a turkey, but I'm making a seitan roast. We're making a vegan and a non vegan pumpkin and pecan pie, solely because my mom already had the ingredients but there will be one vegan apple pie. I'm really appreciative of how supportive my mom is especially after getting so much crap from other family members.
This is so helpful! The BIGGEST struggle for me is the dead animal in the room issue....I have really had a hard time with this, but it is just so helpful hearing that I am not the only one who deals with this and I am so glad you all shared how you deal with it. I have always tried to focus on the other positive aspects of Thanksgiving like being with loved ones, etc., but it is really really hard to ignore the massive slaughter right in front of my face. I also am the only vegan at my Thanksgiving and sometimes I feel like I must be the only person in the world who has to deal with this, but hearing that you all also experience the same feelings is very comforting because I realize I'm not alone. Anyway, thank you for this video because Thanksgiving is such a bittersweet holiday for me (and all vegans) so it's great to hear your perspectives and realize that I'm not alone in this :-)
My family adopted a turkey from Sanctuary Farms this year! We're displaying the adoption certificate and photo of little George,she will be the only kind of turkey allowed on the table! If families want to put a dead animal on the table, make them think about how their money could have been better spent and the positive impact they could have had instead by adopting your own turkey to "bring" to Thanksgiving!
Yeah, I worked for Farm Sanctuary for a while and was involved in the Adopt a Turkey program so I know it well and love it, but I am not going to bring up a controversial issue on Thanksgiving while everyone is enjoying being together. I love my family and want them to enjoy their time as well so I think that those conversations are best had at times other than the holidays when everyone is actually enjoying the day together (like these lovely ladies said in the video)....so yeah I totally support adopting a turkey, but I do not support making my family feel bad while we're all enjoying the day together.
This video was so full of great ideas! I am hosting thanksgiving for the first time and nearly all of our sides will be vegan. There will still be a turkey that my mom is bringing but I am so happy to see how supportive my family has become in the course of one year. They’re all reaching out and asking how to make things vegan without me asking them to and I can’t wait to impress them all with yummy cruelty free food. It’s been a long year just going from vegetarian to vegan and hearing a LOT of “jokes” about my (and my husband) personal choices. I am definitely going to go silent next time. A truly brilliant idea.
You are so blessed to have an understanding family Kristi, it sounds like you have made some great progress in just one year and are definitely a positive influence on your family and those around you. Your husband is vegan too that is so wonderful :) makes it so much easier at home when you don't have people asking for meat all the time.
Really enjoyed this episode. The last Thanksgiving I had with my family was 3 years ago. Seeing the bird being prepared made me cry, and I was told to stop being dramatic. So now I choose to work on Thanksgiving (yay to working in medicine) to avoid conflict.
I'm with Nisha on the issue if you don't know what the person put in the food. Let go and let God. As a new vegan I have to give gentle reminders that I don't eat anything with eyes, or their byproducts.
in Poland we celebrate the Xmas Eve on the 24th of December. It has always been a veg day. There is a tradition that there should be 12 different dishes on the table among which 1 of them is unfortunately fish. But 11 out of 12 is a pretty good deal for me, so I'm really looking forward to Christmas :) great episode girls keep it up!
Dani, I had a similar experience. But it was with lobsters. I went to the store and picked up three live lobsters. I had never boiled them myself before, and I was hesitant to do it at all. I was going to have them steam them. In the end, I took the three live lobsters home. I proceeded to baby them like pets. Naming them and hanging out with them until the time had come. And I cried when I put them in the pots. Like, full on cried over the fact that I was killing them. I went vegan a few months later.
I have a very supported family, so my mom will make something I approve of, and I have loaned her the ingredients she needs if she does not have it. My niece has been vegetarian long before I became vegan, so my sister and the family are used to thinking about no meat, but with me it is no animal or anything from an animal. I think my family works really hard to make me delicious food, and if I make something I want them to enjoy it too. I am not in a relationship so only one family event for me. I am so sad to hear other's don't have the family I have and I am so grateful that I have the family I have. I love this chanel.
We have a vegan thanksgiving with vegan and vegan-curious friends the week before thanksgiving...it is awesome everything is vegan and delicious. We used to host my family for actual thanksgiving, but they have decided to stop coming when we became vegan because, although I have offered to make EVERYTHING and do all the work, I will not allow turkey in the house. If we do go to family's, I tell them to not worry about us (me, my husband and son) that I will take care of us, but thanks for asking. Honestly, I do not want them to try to make vegan food for me...I know it sounds bad, but I have trust issues haha. I just take food for us that we can share with everyone, but a variety of food for us to have a full meal and more. I take an appetizer, entree, a couple sides, and dessert. I DO NOT EVER want people to feel sorry for us, feel like they would miss out as vegans, or have a negative idea of being negative...I my food to make them curious! I do sit our food apart from the other food so no one dips a meat covered spoon in my stuff haha. I do not make a fuss. I do not comment on their animal bodies and by products. They just know I am bringing food for my family, but make enough for everyone. Funny thing....I never go home with leftovers because everyone eats it all. And like Nisha, my goal every year is for that exact thing to happen. I WANT to have people raving. I WANT people to be confused on how a particular dish could possibly be vegan. I WANT my vegan food to be the food that gets talked about all day and hear people say "did you try Amber's *whatever vegan dish they are talking about*? It was awesome...I would not have even known if it wasn't in her section" haha!! I WANT my vegan food to advocate for the animals!
purple layne I LOVE THIS!! You are really taking your life into your hands and it is so empowering and amazing to hear! I SO agree with everything you said!
I love it! Vegan-curious! I have a few of those, but usually they just go and eat whatever at their house after without another thought, like praising my vegan food that I bring, while putting a slab of meat on their plate right next to it. The cognitive dissonance is strong in most people, having been raised (indoctrinated) all their life to view eating animal products as 'normal and necessary'
Most of my family makes jokes about me not eating meat or being more plant based / vegan. It doesn't get to me. They are Italian and are very meat at every meal people. So I always bring something for me and me and my sister . And my Aunt always has a meat substitute for us...and she and a few other family members that are always done to try vegan food I bring .
So helpful! Thank you guys for all of the wonderful advice. This is my second Thanksgiving as a vegan and I'm kind of stressed about it. Hopefully we can all stay sane and have a good time despite the dead animal in the room.
You guys are pretty lucky with your experiences. My family is quite judgmental and we have to make our own meal because they aren’t open enough to eat a vegan green bean casserole or even potatoes with vegan butter...it is very frustrating. But I feel similar to Dani. Thanksgiving isn’t the same for me since it is SO centered around this dead tortured bird. It feels inauthentic to me to be happy with family when they are sitting there carving what was once a living being, making comments about it etc. Think if it was a dog or cat, it wouldn’t be so easy to ignore it. I feel like an animals life is more important than being polite.
I shared this video on FB for vegans who are trying to figure out how to negotiate Thanksgiving, and for anyone else who may be hosting vegans at their meals. Thank you! You ladies are so informative and fun to watch.
I’m dreading Thanksgiving. We’ve always been healthy eaters and try to feed our kids the best. We have been vegetarian for awhile but this will be our first vegan Thanksgiving; with my 5 year old and two year old, family acts like I’m depriving them of something when they get ice cream cones just not the same kind as them. Oh, or that I’m forcing them to eat a certain way. So annoying. Great episode! Love you ladies!!!
There have been no long term trials on the effect of veganism on children. You are depriving them. Everone you know, including you, ate animal products growing up. Everyone.
This is my first year to host Thanksliving!! Usually we do Thanksgiving at my family's house, and even though we tell them we're vegan and don't eat animal products, they will ask us if we can eat every single thing a million times anyway and somehow STILL use a bunch of animal products in the so-called vegan side dishes. I've had family try to argue with me that turkey isn't meat -_-. Sooo excited I'm in control of the dishes this year and everyone can see how yummy a vegan dinner can be!
Scrolling Facebook, I see a steak night fundraiser is happening. I open-up the event, and it's to raise money for a family who has received a cancer diagnosis. I think it's great when communities rally together to help each other out, but to see steak night and cancer diagnosis in the same paragraph... I am so happy that I am armed with the knowledge of what certain food can do, and I wonder how long until the majority of society learns it
This is my first vegan Thanksgiving and my mom was really cool about it. Everything will either be vegan or have a vegan alternative (the only alternatives being the turkey, gravy, and whipped cream). I'm actually excited! And I love that Gardein stuffed turkey too! (I've been vegetarian for several years, so I've had it the last few Thanksgivings, and whenever I feel like having Thanksgiving food because it's my favorite!) I make a really simple and delicious gravy based on the gravies my mom would make, just substituting vegetable broth. Butter, broth, flour, Kitchen Bouquet (the absolute best!), and salt and pepper. Just thought I'd throw that out there. Happy Vegan Thanksgiving!
Loved this video! It’s such a stressful time of year when you’re a new vegan/plant-based eater especially and having ideas on how to navigate is such a huge help!
Sugar, Salt, Fat - Got It! I think many people think of smoothies, acai bowls and quinoa when they think of vegan food, so Sugar, Salt and Fat is a great tip!
Hello Girls Regarding 6:40 to 10.45 "Laughing it off - smiling it off" is the best policy - keep the peace & move on immediately - do not linger there for a moment.
We went vegan 3 years ago, and mine and my husband's family all decided to no longer invite us family dinners.. So I just make the 4 of us a nice vegan thanksgiving.
I am the ONLY vegan that i know and it is so nice to watch a converstaion between other vegan ladies who experience and agree with my thoughts. Living and being surrounded by non-vegans is hard because they all seem to go out of their way to make me feel stupid, and it can really get to me sometimes. This channel brings me so much joy! subscribed :)
My family ( xcept my mom cause she gets it and she is mostly plant based for health) didn’t get it when I was vegetarian. I used to go my mom’s sister’s house every year and she knew that I always got the side dishes. Mashed potatoes, stuffing, corn and dressing. And 4 years ago, I sat down with my usual stuff. I took a bite of stuffing and my aunt said “oh you don’t eat turkey right?” And I said no and at that moment I bit down into a piece of dark meat turkey. I was sick for the rest of the day but I felt so betrayed cause she knew it was in there and I didn’t eat meat. The year later I made a vegan thanksgiving as I was transitioning to veganism. I mean I have developed a dairy allergy ( which was the thing that started me make the full vegan transition) and my family STILL doesn’t make an adjustment for that even. So I do thanksgiving now with my mom. Xo Davita
Just be your own person, and it will be okay. I grew up mostly vegetarian, so I guess I always had to deal with the odd comments. If you do not want to eat something it is not rude, contrary to what people think. Actually, talking to European friends and friends who grew up in Israel, they always wonder why Americans are just not honest about how they feel about things. So if you want to be vegan, just be upfront and say "I am sorry I cannot eat this," if something it is not vegan. You could also bring some side dishes to eat yourself.
I don't know how I'm going to get through seeing the turkey at my grandparents house especially since I just pet a turkey last Saturday at a farm sanctuary and I know how sweet they are. It's a reminder of how they are suffering and being killed and they don't deserve that and I feel like I'm gonna cry when I see the dead turkey on the table
I saw the notification come across my screen during class and I couldn’t wait for class to finish, so I could watch it!! I’m hosting a fully vegan thanksgiving this year for my family. I’m going to be making the veganized version of traditional thanksgiving dishes. Im also going to the nyc thanksgiving parade and going to vlog the day:) I hope you all have a wonderful thanksgiving filled with lots of yummy vegan food🧡
It's funny to me that when I tell people that I'm Vegan they will say things like oh this is turkey u can still eat this and I'm just like wait in what country or universe is turkey not considered a meat product or even fish. I also get the statement, it's just made with chicken broth and they just do not understand that I do not want to eat anything animal even broth that still counts. It can be very annoying. I cook dinner every year so meat eaters have to bring there own turkey to my house cause all I cook is side dishes and that is plenty of food and most of my guest are pretty happy with my vegan sides.
my grandparents always ask "why did you decide to go vegan" even when i tell them i didn't like the way animals are treated. i've also had people ask me why when they were literally eating meat
I feel like I get more anxiety about the holidays the longer I am vegan. One year I made everything just because I wanted to make sure I had something more than one dish to eat. And I made a turkey for everyone else. I think I have had the best success when I bring vegan dishes and people do not know they are vegan. Vegan cornbread stuffing muffins are the best and everyone loves it. It's the one dish I look forward to at family gatherings. I'm so glad a few family members are nice about me being vegan. I have decided this year to stay home and have a quiet Thanksgiving with my husband. Do you have any recommendations for store bought vegan pumpkin pie?
Same! It's crazy how much that helps me stay calm and not "preach" to deaf ears. I think being a good example makes people curious and they're way more open if you let them come to you :)
anyone I tell always says stuff like "it's just one day it won't harm you " or "just a little butter won't hurt" and I get so stressed out at this point idk what even to say. How would you combat this?
Ceara Howell hahah wow that is awesome I am Pacific Islander and food is something ppl take to the heart so if I say "no" it's kind of a big deal so I'm struggling a little and it sucks I don't want to stray away from family! If only everyone could go vegan :) haha
I LOVE the videos that you guys upload! Its nice to hear that my thoughts are not only going through my head but that I have a connection with y’all also! Thank you for the comfort that is shared through the channel for some of us who maybe don’t nt know a single vegan in person. Love from Houston!
This was a great episode. While the dead turkey is disturbing, I think the fact that we celebrate a holiday based on the mass murder of Native Americans is more disturbing to me.
Jessica Colon If asked, I tell people I’m not celebrating Thanksgiving but honoring the memory of the thousands of Native Americans who were murdered so we could steal their land -and that I strongly support reparative action toward all Native Peoples.
No, sadly Linda that didn't happen at all. That's what was taught in elementary school to make everyone feel better. I highly recommend doing some research or asking a Native American. I live in WA and the Natives here will tell you, it was a bloody massacre. Thanksgiving is a day of mourning for them, it's a real slap in the face.
Thanksgiving has always been my favorite holiday so this is hard for me bc I want to be around my family but it's so frustrating when the whole family conversation is "why aren't you eating turkey???"
Thank you for this guys! I’ve been having a lot of anxiety about thanksgiving this year. I’m the only vegan in the family and this is my first year being fully vegan and not just vegetarian. I know and expect a lot of backlash from my side of the family, and will definitely be using some of these tips! Thank you for making this channel- I love all of your channels!
Love these ideas and love you guys! Sending happy mom vibes to Dani! ❤ Being a mom is damn hard! My youngest son is allergic to eggs and dairy so for family gatherings when someone wants to make sure he will be able to eat something they are making, I will usually suggest products I use like Earth Balance or vegan whipped cream options or the vegan cream cheese we use. This might work for family members trying to veganize dishes. I think non-vegans don't know which products to even buy so making the suggestions about which ones I use seems to help ensure the dishes are actually vegan. Sometimes I'll even supply the vegan substitute ingredients so they don't have to go find them or buy them. Keep up the good work ladies! Happy Thanksgiving!
Great topic and great ideas. Thanks for making this video! I clicked on Nicole's channel but it says the channel does not exist? and....also Hannah's link says the same thing.
A friend of mine, jokingly, says he's going to wait to mow his lawn until right before Thanksgiving so I will have lots to eat. He LOVES my food though. He never turns down a chance to try (and usually devour) what I bring. (Validated!)
Sometimes you can just smile and say, I just focus on what is on my plate, and then change the subject. If someone sees that you will not engage with their snarky comments, it will throw them off a bit, and make them wonder.
Great video! I'm really enjoying your channel so far, so keep it up! A separate topic, but I'd be interested to hear your opinions on animal testing. Ever since going vegan, I have done my absolute best to purchase brands that do not test on animals. However these are often more expensive than I can afford ($20 for 2 oz. face moisturizer). Considering you all look beautiful and clearly take care of yourself, what are your thoughts? Do you have any tips or recommendations for finding ethical products?
I really like Trader Joes for beauty products that aren't tested on animals and are affordable, I use the cleanser and moisturizer from their Nourish line and really like them (I think they're both around 6 dollars).
Have you tried elf and hard candy? Elf is great for eyeliner and blushes. Hard candy has really great concealers, foundations, mascaras, lip stays, etc. And they are both very affordable, you can find them at Walmart.
I know, it is so annoying. Vegan vitamins, most vegan clothes and shoes, I figure the market is not strong enough, but I am on a tight budget and can't afford new shoes for years, nor a new bag, etc. I would love the group to discuss that too.
actually 'vegan' shoes and clothes are cheaper a lot of times, as fake leather is cheaper, wears just the same if not longer, and you can shop at thrift stores and sales for clothes. In my opinion, anything that's not leather or wool or silk is Vegan, that leaves a lot of other materials. If you have something leather already, you don't need to throw it away or give it away if you cannot afford something to replace it, but instead keep it and use it to honor the animal that gave its life to make it. That's my take on it, maybe others have different opinions. I have only been Vegan for 4 months but have watched a lot of RU-vid videos on many subjects.
I’ve worked my way to try different affordable brands of personal care and household products. There are some really good ones that are at similar price point with commercial brands or not too much more. I buy online, so it’s easy to compare prices and get the best deals. Also use sites like Ebates to get cash back on top of everything. I frequent Jet.com, iHerb, and amazon. Some brands I like are Mrs.Meyers (hand soap, dish detergent, laundry), Kiss My Face (sensitive toothpaste, Whenever shampoo, body wash), Every Man Jack (Citrus shampoo), Honest Co. (shampoo+body wash). I get lotion, oil and cream samples from vegan beauty subscriptions (Petit Vour $18/mo), so I use whatever they send me, which are really nice products. Some skincare brands I like that are not too expensive are Derma E (eye makeup remover), Juice Beauty (green apple gel cleanser), Lush (Charity Pot lotion is super thick and moisturizing).
Over the past few years my family around thanksgiving have been tolerable. I usually don't get mocked but I think it's because they may be afraid of asking me why I do it. They aren't educated about veganism so they don't really understand.
I'm kinda glad that I live so far away from my family (they're in the Pacific Northwest and I'm in the South) and I will likely be working on Thanksgiving (I'm a first responder). It's gonna be kinda nice to have Thanksgiving by myself this year, so I can have my own little vegan thanksgiving. Or maybe host a friendsgiving, since I just bought my first house a few months ago.
I think it would have been good if you'd had some Thanksgiving vegan food on the table you can assume people or they could have instead of date animal products I love you VR videos
My family always goes away for thanksgiving and for the past few years I’ve been going to a friends house. First year I was an omnivore, last year vegetarian, and this year vegan. For many reasons I’ve decided not to go this year and I feel guilty. How do you handle saying no to those you love when really it’s the best thing for your mental, emotional, and physical well being?
Everything that you are saying, I have thought in my mind. I feel better knowing I’m not alone. Why are vegans labeled as the “weird” ones? I want to scream at them, “don’t you see what you’re doing?!”
my boyfriend's family wants to go to this buffet at a gas station for 36 dollars... and I know i won't be able to eat anything and I don't want to pay that!
Hello! I am researching a lot( have been since I’m vegetarian) to become vegan. My folk don’t want to for lots of reasons and I want to prove them wrong and show them Non-violent proof that I should be vegan- they wouldn’t approve of me watching the violent documentaries even though I did- I watched the Holy Three: Cowspiracy, and all the others and speeches, RU-vid channels... anyways. I’m finding it now on RU-vid that when you type « vegan » you don’t find lots of informative content or you need to dig ( I searched long before finding this AMAZING channel but I already following most of y’all... Anyways. Thanks for everything and hope I can’t be part of the vegan 🌱 family and be an activist.
This is my first vegan thanksgiving and I’m really nervous......... the anxiety is real. I will be THE ONE AND ONLY at the table, not eating the carcass. Gonna be nice & weird.
i’m 15 and vegan and i literally cant even watch other people eat meat it just makes me feel sick😩 and no one in my family is vegan and i’m not excited for thanksgiving at all😭
Aw we know it’s rough!! Have you joined our Facebook group? There’s a lot of really nice people who feel the same there who can give you some advice 💚💚💚 in the meantime, we recommend trying to focus on the good YOU’RE doing by keeping meat and dairy off of your plate. That makes a big difference in the long run. Be proud of your contribution toward positive change in this world. Your choices are so important ☺️💚✨
