At the end of each year, most people in North America take time off to celebrate with family and friends and remember what's important to them. Many people celebrate Christmas in some form, with decorating, eating, gift-giving, or religious celebration and reflection. For a lot of people, the Holiday season is the most exciting time of year. But don't let animals be forgotten in all the commotion. Buying a gift that was tested on animals or made of animal skin, eating animal flesh or other animal products at your Christmas dinner, and decorating with things that can harm companion animals are all things that cause suffering for animals. There's no reason not to shop cruelty-free and decorate with careWhen you are buying gifts Decorate with careRemember to shop kindly and buy only cruelty-free gifts and foods for your celebration. Read on for information on making the holiday season fun for all creatures.

The Christmas Tradition
A Merry Christmas for Your Companion Animals
Tell Santa Not to Bring Animals
Cruelty-free Christmas Dinner

The Christmas Tradition

The Catholic Church did not start celebrating the birthday of Jesus Christ, who they believe was their saviour, until the fourth century. His real birth date is not known, so Pope Julius I chose December 25, supposedly in order to adopt and absorb the traditions of the Pagan Saturnalia festival. Every year, in the week leading up to the Winter solstice and continuing for a whole month, Romans ate and drank excessively and peasants allegedly ruled the city. The Church’s scheme to spread Christmas worked, but they haven’t had much control over how people celebrate. The tradition of raucous celebration has lived on even up to today, but many other traditions have been attached to the holiday over the years, such as Santa Claus, gift giving, and of course the Christmas tree.

A Merry Christmas for Companion Animals

For many people, the Christmas holiday means peace, relaxation, and celebration with family and friends. Unfortunately for some of our animal friends, the holiday season also ends up being a time of stress and emergency visits to the vet as bowels become obstructed with tinsel, chocolate left out by careless children proves poisonous, and turkey bones found in the trash get lodged in intestines. This holiday season take some extra precautions to ensure that the holiday will be safe and fun for the animal members of your family.

• Don’t let long, skinny pieces of plastic or string dangle within your animal friends’ reach. Cats and kittens seem to find shiny tinsel especially appealing but, if they eat it, the thin pieces can cause their intestines to bunch up, and can even cut through the intestinal wall! Either result could be fatal, and would at least mean a trip to the veterinarian’s office.
• Be careful of where you leave light strands, loose wires, and electric cords, which can all be a serious hazard to your companion animals. Some animals, especially puppies, may chew cords and put themselves at risk of serious burns or electric shock.
• As you deck the halls, trim the tree, or light the menorah, remember that animals don’t understand words like “breakable” or “family heirloom.” Rambunctious dogs, cats, and ferrets have been known to topple many an ornament and knick-knack, and sometimes even whole Christmas trees. You can help prevent breaks and mishaps by keeping weighty ornaments close to the floor, and valuable ornaments high on the tree or on a shelf, out of reach for curious mouths, noses, and wagging tails. Also, make sure Christmas trees are tethered to a nearby wall if you have animals fond of climbing.
• Keep in mind that some plants and greenery like Holly, Ivy, Poinsettas, and Mistletoe can be very toxic to an animal that ingests them. Check a full list of toxic plants before bringing any decorative plants home.
• We aren’t the only ones who sometimes eat too much of a good thing. Table scraps, garbage raiding, and counter licking can add up to leave too much rich food in your companion’s stomach. This may lead to stomach upset or even serious inflammation of the pancreas, which can be life-threatening. Stick to your companion’s normal diet ¬- even though she may encourage you not to!
• Kids and adults both enjoy celebrating with fireworks, horns, bells, and whistles. But to the sensitive ears of our companions, these can all be extremely frightening. If you anticipate that fireworks or noisemakers will be within earshot of your companion animal, make sure your animal is in a safe place away from the noise.
• A house full of visitors can mean a lot of stress for companion animals. All animals need attention, but too many unfamiliar faces, smells, and petting hands can be frightening and stressful. If you expect to have many guests coming and going over the holidays, try to provide your companions with a quiet room away from the action where they can have privacy and feel safe. Let visitors know the room is off limits.
  

Tell Santa Not to Bring Animals

Many of us love the thought of surprising somebody with a puppy or kitten on Christmas morning. However, it is unkind and unfair to put an animal in the hands of someone who has not committed or agreed to the responsibility of caring for it. Companion animals are not toys and require a lot of care, attention, and love. Many of the animals given as Christmas gifts end up abandoned on the steps of shelters in the following weeks.

Even if you have carefully discussed and decided to welcome a new animal to your home, a holiday is probably the worst time to do so. The holiday household is full of hustling and bustling, decorations, toys, treats, and sometimes a lot of stress. All of the excitement can cause a new companion to be confused and over-stimulated. So if you’ve decided it’s time for a new family member, wait until the week after the holiday, and introduce the new animal into a quiet, safe environment.

If you would like to purchase or pay the adoption fee for someone who has decided to welcome a new animal, you can wrap an accessory or a gift certificate and bring the animal home at a better time.

Cruelty-free Christmas Dinner

For many people, having a big Christmas dinner with family is the highlight of the holiday. But remember that if your meal involves consuming animal products it is not just your joy but also animal suffering that brought it to your table. We could all extend the joy of our Christmas holiday to turkeys and other animals by sparing their lives and choosing to host a vegan dinner. Here are a few recipe ideas to get you started!

Cranberry, Orange and Ginger sauce

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup orange juice
• zest of 1 lemon
• 1 tsp. fresh grated ginger (or ½ tsp. dried ginger)
• 2 cups fresh cranberries
• pinch of salt

Preparation

• Place the cranberries, orange juice and ginger in a pan and simmer about ten minutes.
• Give the berries a mash and add the sugar, zest and salt.
• Cook gently until all the sugar is completely dissolved. The sauce will thicken up as it cools slightly.
• Nice served hot or warm with nut roast or dish of your choice.

Gravy

Makes 6 servings

• 2 Tbsp. margarine or oil
• 1 medium-sized onion, diced
• 2 Tbsp. unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp. garlic salt
• 2 Tbsp. cornstarch
• 1 1/2 cups water or vegetable broth
• 1 tsp. yeast extract
• 1-2 Tbsp. soy sauce or tamari
• Pepper, to taste

Preparation

• Preheat the oven to 375ºF.
• Heat the margarine in a medium saucepan over medium heat.
• Sauté the onion for a few minutes, then add the flour and garlic salt and sauté for another 8 to 9 minutes.
• Dissolve the cornstarch in the water or broth.
• Gradually add the cornstarch mixture to the onion mixture, bring to a boil, then simmer for 10 minutes.
• Strain the gravy into a separate saucepan and add the yeast extract, soy sauce or tamari, and pepper. Simmer for another minute or 2, stirring constantly. Keep warm.

Cashew Nut Roast

Ingredients

• 1/6 cup vegan margarine
• 2 sticks celery, finely chopped
• 1 medium leek, finely chopped
• 1 ½ cups hot water
• 1 tsp. yeast extract (marmite, vegemite etc.)
• 3 cups ground cashew nuts (or nuts of your choice, almonds work well)
• 2 Tbsp. soy flour
• 2 tsp. fresh winter savoury (or 1 tsp. if dried)
• 3 cups white bread crumbs
• Sea salt and pepper to taste

Preparation

• Melt the margarine in large pan. Cook the celery and leek in it for a few minutes.
• Mix the yeast extract into the hot water and add this to the leek and celery.
• Stir in the soy flour, nuts, herbs, breadcrumbs, salt and pepper. Mix well.
• Allow to cool slightly while you grease a loaf tin. Place the nut roast mixture in the tin and press down well.
• Bake in the oven about 40 minutes at 360˚F. Turn out of the tin and slice.

Sage and Onion Roast Potatoes

Ingredients

• 4 tsp. dried sage or 8 tsp. freshly chopped sage
• 4 Tbsp. sunflower oil
• 1 finely chopped onion
• 4 Tbsp. medium oatmeal
• 4 lbs. potatoes, peeled and cut to desired size
• Salt, to taste

Preparation

• Parboil the potatoes. Just when they are beginning to soften remove from heat and drain.
• Place in baking tray and rub the coating all over them.
• Roast in a hot oven until nice and crispy (30 minutes plus). You might want to baste with a little more oil half way through for extra crispiness.

Sage and Onion stuffing

Ingredients

• 6 slices wholegrain bread

• ½ cup vegan margarine

• 4 tsp. of dried sage or 8 of fresh, chopped sage

• 1 large onion, finely chopped

• Salt, to taste

Preparation

• Melt the margarine in a saucepan and cook the onion in it until soft.
• Break up the wholegrain bread with your hands (into fairly small pieces) and then mix into the onion and margarine with the sage and salt.
• This can be pressed into an oven-proof bowl or casserole dish, wrapped in foil and baked in the oven.

Easy Christmas Fruit Cake

Ingredients

• 2 cups cooking dates, pitted
• 1¼ cups water (you can substitute ¼ cup brandy or sherry for ¼ cup of the water, if you like)
• 1¼ cups wholegrain flour
• 3 cups mixed dried fruit of your choice - including lots of
• dried apricots works very well
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. mixed spice
• 4 Tbsp. orange juice
• For decoration: You can either do a traditional marzipan and white icing topping or use rows of different nuts such as walnuts, pecans, brazils and almonds.

Preparation

• Heat the dates and water until the dates are soft. Remove from heat and mash with a fork.
• Add all the other ingredients and mix well.
• Spoon the mixture into a greased 2 lb. cake tin and level top.
• If using the nut topping place rows of different nuts on top of the cake prior to baking.
• Bake at 340˚F for about 1½ hours or until cooked.
• Once cool, the nut topping can be glazed with a little syrup (melt some sugar into hot water) or you can ice the cake traditionally. It should be stored in the fridge and eaten within one week.

Chocolate Yule Log Cake

1 Chocolate Cake:

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1/4 cup cocoa powder
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 tsp. distilled white vinegar
• 1 cup water

Preparation

• Preheat oven to 350˚F (175˚C) and lightly grease one 9x5 inch loaf pan.
• Sift together the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, and salt. Add the oil, vanilla, vinegar, and water. Mix together until smooth.
• Pour batter into prepared pan and bake at 350˚F for 45 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool.

1 batch of vegan chocolate “butter” icing:

• ½ cup vegan margarine
• 1 1/3 cups sifted icing sugar
• 1 Tbsp. sifted cocoa
• A few drops natural vanilla extract

Beat all ingredients together. Refrigerate if necessary.
Assembly: Put the cake on a cake board or plate. Cut the corner off one end of the cake and turn it round to look like a branch. Secure the branch with some of the icing.
With a knife, round off the corners of the “log.” Cover the entire cake with the rest of the icing, and then use a fork to make lines and knots. Dust with icing sugar and, if desired, decorate with fake flowers, berries, or holly leaves, and small baubles.

Cranberry Brown Bread

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups whole, raw cranberries
• 1/3 cup minced walnuts
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 cup white flour
• 2/3 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/3 cup wheat or oat bran
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup soy yogourt
• 1/4 cup molasses
• 1/3 cup brown sugar (if you like a sweeter bread add more)
• 1/2 cup vanilla

Preparation

• Heat oil in a big skillet. Add cranberries, walnuts, and cinnamon and cool them at medium heat for eight minutes. Don't be alarmed when the cranberries burst and beware of the spray. Set aside to cool.
• Combine dry ingredients in a bowl. Combine the wet ingredients (including brown sugar) in a bigger bowl. Add the cranberry and dry mixtures to the wet. Make sure you add all the oil from the cranberry pan. Mix until combined. It will all stick together in one big blob.
• Put the blob in a greased medium size loaf pan. Squish it to evenly fill the space. Bake at 350°F for 45 minutes. Remove the loaf from the pan and let cool before you attempt slicing.