My vegan experience during the holiday season

By Gloria Stovall

I pray you are well, savoring the season, spending time with your family, friends and resting your weary bodies.  Rest is so important.  It is so beneficial to start catching up on much needed sleep and faithfully adhering to the sleep recommendations for adults. In addition to a vegan diet, I am finally realizing how vital sleep is and why it is recommended for a healthy adult to get anywhere between 7 and 9 hours of sleep per night.  So how are you doing overall?  I appreciate your interesting comments about my previous blog entry, “vegans are not vegetarians and vegetarians are not vegans.” I was expecting those responses as I know for some, the topic of vegans and vegetarians not being the same, can often spark controversy.  I have yet to respond to your comments, but I promise to do so, soon.  

I apologize for not writing as often lately, but truth be told, I have been quite busy; which is an understatement to say the least-I just needed to take a hiatus to get some important business in order that I had put off doing far too long.  I was staring at the calendar the other morning and still cannot believe this year is almost over! It has been an eventful year and I am personally looking forward to warmly welcoming 2022. The other weekend I was feeling courageous and attempted doing my Christmas shopping; but it was a total disaster as the crowded stores that I frequented often in the past years did not have a decent selection of vegan-friendly gifts; and I did not want to settle for gifts that were anything less of being vegan- friendly, so I did not settle and went home.  The longer I am a vegan the more sensitive I become to animal cruelty and the environment, which is why I take buying gifts more seriously, whereas before, I was not as mindful or obsessed about it, if you will.  

If I may be candid, this time of the year can be both delightful and dismal for some of us as we have lost loved ones or just feel downright depressed.  Personally for me, the holidays in general have not been the same since I lost my amazing mom seven years ago; but thankfully I have learned to make the best of things and do what I have to do to survive the holidays.  As a vegan, something I no longer look forward to are annual holiday parties, luncheons, and dinners.  This is not because I am a “Scrooge,” as I absolutely cherish the Christmas season, but because nine out of ten times, the dishes at these festive occasions are not vegan-friendly, with the exception of a few salads or fresh fruit.  I can say some of the food is vegetarian friendly, but as I clearly conveyed in my previous blog entry, vegans and vegetarians are not one in the same, therefore they do not eat the same food; so in other words, I have to drool and watch everyone eat tons of decadent treats, cookies, cakes, pies and entrées’, while nibbling on fruit and salad.  

Truth be told, as a vegan, you cannot expect anyone or everyone to cater to your lifestyle, therefore, you must learn to bring your own food to these occasions, otherwise there will be very minimum for you to eat.  I know it does not seem fair, but that is just the way that it is, and if you are going to succeed as a vegan for as long as I have thus far, you must make sacrifices, be strong and willing to do whatever it takes to adhere to the vegan lifestyle.  

Thank you always for following my blog, your suggestions and comments.  I may not immediately respond to you, but I can assure you I welcome what you have to say and will eventually make a response.  I have some upcoming, thought provoking blog entries that will be quite intriguing, so please stay tuned.  

I wish you a very Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!  Please be safe and kind to all animals.  Love animals…don’t eat them.  Go vegan!