The Twelfth Day of Christmas - Do not go gentle into that good night!

Oh it's Christmas Eve! I've always loved this day. As a child it was the most magical of days that I'd wait for and count down to until it was here. We'd get the Sears Wish Book sometime in November and I'd pour over those pages picking gifts for everyone in my family - usually starting with my mom and grannies, then I'd hit the toy section and wish and hope and dream.

I feel especially warm and fuzzy seeing these old images. It was such a time of wonder and possibility and that hopeful excited feeling lives on in me today. Most especially this Christmas. By all accounts, this year is anything but traditional. I'm not at home in Saskatchewan. I'm not with any members of my own family. There won't be a turkey or eggnog or chocolate. You might be wondering then why I feel so positive?

I'm squirrelled away in a beautiful cottage in the snowy woods of Ontario with He Who Shall Not Be Named and his mama, and both of them are indulging me, letting me make my giant homemade tofu-turkey from scratch along with my gluten free stuffing. We've made gluten free, sugar free, vegan fudge {which as gross as that may sound to some, it's pure heaven to me} and the dog could not be happier. And if I could make one wish this Christmas, it would be that every person who read this blog post would consider trying  - if not the whole of Veganuary by going Vegan in January - at least doing one day meat, egg and dairy free. That one tiny action would have the hugest impact.

And for those of you who are taking the plunge with me in the new year, let's ring in our Twelfth Day of Christmas with a bang and --

Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night!

Once the new year hits and we all return to work, or back to school or whatever our routines may be, there are going to be people who look at us sideways when we skip the cheese tray, don't order our regular old latte, or give the chicken salad a miss at lunch. Contrary to what the title of this post says, I'm not suggesting that you come out swinging and say I'm a vegan and all 'a y'all suck for eating meat. I don't want to shame anyone, make anyone feel guilty or bad for the choices they make, but nor do I want us to become the subject of ridicule.

Once people hear that you are choosing a plant-based diet, they are going to hit you up with questions; the first likely being WHY? Why would you do that to yourself? Why make eating such a chore? Such a bore? etc. If you're making an ethical choice, you might get that lame-oh loser response of: Vegetables feel pain too. Or Animals were put on this earth for us to eat.

The trick is to be prepared with some ready answers. I for one like using humor.
So I'd say something like - I don't like cheese because I'm a curd-mudgeon. 

The key to making the transition as easy as possible is to know why you're doing it. Did you watch the documentary film What The Health or Forks Over Knives and realize that eating more plant-based meals just makes you feel better? Share that knowledge with people, or suggest they check out the film. Incidentally, THIS is a great spot to go for tips on making the transition from the folks over at Forks Over Knives.

You don't have to get into it with people at all if you don't want to. My beloved He Who Shall Not Be Named went vegan and never told anyone besides me about it. When we went out for dinner with friends, he'd look for salads, grains and veggie dishes that he could eat and if pressed he'd just say I don't eat dairy and people simply assumed he discovered that he was lactose intolerant. Most folks tend to be very accepting of health or allergy issues and will leave the subject there. 

If you know you're going out for a meal, try to scope out the restaurant ahead of time to be sure that they have options for you so that when it comes time to order you're not caught without a choice. Or if you know that at the office staff meeting they always serve cup cakes, you could offer to bring them in and then swing by the vegan bakery on your way to work and pick up a vegan version. In Toronto we're so lucky to have a place called Bunners, a fab bakery that makes solely gluten-free AND vegan baked goods.

We are incredibly lucky to be living in a time where people are waking up to the joys and benefits of living a plant-based lifestyle so we have foods at the supermarket, restaurants, and food shops that provide lots of options.

Another thing I'd suggest is to seek out others eating a plant-based diet so that you have a buddy to share tips and tricks with.

One of the best things I found when I first started blogging about The 30-Day Method was that I was writing about trying to stay on track for that 30-Days, I found other people just like me giving it a shot. We built up a little community and shared the joys and difficulties of adhering to the program and being accountable to this new lifestyle shift. I'm hoping to do that again here.

So if you can't find people in your local area, you can come here for support and encouragement or to commiserate with on the various challenges of being somewhat different in your world. I remember how hard it was to keep up with a daily workouts when most of the people around me were not working out at all. I was told I was acting like I was in a cult or that I'd been brainwashed and I expect that this next undertaking may bring on more of the same, but I'm not afraid. I know why I'm doing this. And I know that there are one or two of you out there who are doing it too and together we're stronger. We can make our world a better place, a healthier place -  and a safer, more compassionate place.

Stick with me, girl. I got your back.

I'll be prepping my tofu to make my vegan turkey tomorrow - so watch this space to hear how that went. And if you're interested in the vegan gluten free sugar free fudge lemme know, I can post the recipe here for that as well. It turned out brilliantly!

Wishing you all a very happy healthy holiday season and I'll see you on the other side!

xoxo
Shan