10 tips for a compassionate and cruelty-free Christmas

1. Turkeys are terrific! Please leave them off your plate 

Turkeys are intelligent and sensitive animals who create lasting bonds with other turkeys and experience emotions just like us – in fact, the colour of their heads can change from red to blue to white, depending on their mood! 

Yet an estimated 2 million turkeys are killed for Christmas in the UK every year. Like all animals farmed for food, they endure nightmarish conditions on factory farms and are subject to painful mutilations, crammed into windowless sheds, and are forced to grow so quickly that they cannot stand. 

2. The main event 

Thankfully it’s never been easier to opt out of the traditional Christmas dinner centrepiece of a dead bird, with most supermarkets having a huge range of vegan Christmas food. You’ll also find amazing recipes right here on the Animal Aid website! 

Try something new this Christmas with our plant-based recipes.

3. Make sure your Christmas presents are cruelty-free 

From greetings cards to gifts and sweet treats, we’re delighted to bring you a kinder alternative to Christmas shopping with our very own Animal Aid shop, where no product has been tested on animals or contains any animal ingredients. Best of all, all profits from your purchases help us continue fighting animal abuse. 

4. Ditch the dairy this Christmas 

The dairy industry is one of the most exploitative methods of farming animals, forcing cows into a near-constant cycle of pregnancy and birth in order to produce milk for human consumption.  

Thankfully, plant-based alternatives have never been more accessible. You’ll find soya, almond, oat and coconut milks in most supermarkets, not to mention dairy-free versions of butter, ice cream and cheese (more on cheese below!)

5. Cheeseboards without the cruelty 

Speaking of ditching dairy, you needn’t miss out on the festive staple of a cheeseboard. Most components of an excellent cheeseboard are already vegan, from grapes and figs to many chutneys and crackers. But for the star of the show, we recommend the pre-prepared Violife Epic Dairy-Free Platter (available in some supermarkets) or just pick your favourite individual cheeses.  

6. Please never support ‘animal gifting’ schemes 

Animal gifting schemes involve donating animals, usually ‘livestock’, to developing countries and communities in need. The reality is that such schemes do very little to bring people out of poverty and often exacerbate the problem. 

There are many ways to help people in need without harming animals. Find out more by reading our ‘animal gifting’ leaflet or click below to order your own copies. 

Request your FREE leaflets on ‘animal gifting’ schemes

7. Simple swaps: Advent calendars 

It’s hard to believe that there was once a time when vegan advent calendars didn’t exist, but thankfully those days are behind us! Options include the H!P Vegan Chocolate Advent Calendar which is dairy free, plastic free and comes with four flavours, and the NOMO Ultimate Advent Calendar which is new for 2024 and has a mini NOMO bar behind every door! There’s also Jo & Steph’s Vegan Popcorn calendar, SoSweet Vegan Pick ‘n’ Mix, and Hotel Chocolat’s Unbelievably Vegan advent calendar – really, we’re spoilt for choice! 

8. Share Rollo’s story far and wide! 

For the first time ever, we’ve launched our very own children’s book called ‘Rollo’s Long Way Home’. This beautifully illustrated book tells the story of a young reindeer called Rollo who is fed up with life in captivity, and journeys home to the wild where he belongs.  

The book is the latest initiative in our annual campaign to encourage event organisers to move away from using animals as props – and you can help! For every copy of the book purchased, an anonymous donor will send a second copy to a primary school or community group, helping to spread the message of compassion far and wide.

Order your copy of ‘Rollo’s Long Way Home’ today!

9. Simple swaps: Christmas pudding 

Love it or hate it, the Christmas pudding is a staple. There are loads of vegan recipes online but if you can’t face the hassle of baking from scratch, Lilly Puds have an excellent vegan version here – perfect when paired with Elmlea’s plant-based pouring cream! 

If Christmas pudding really isn’t your thing, why not try something a bit different like our Chocolate Truffles, Meringue and Pavlova, or Tiramisu recipes.

10. Take compassion into the new year with you 

We hope this list has encouraged you to think differently about how we use animals over the festive period, whether that’s for food, entertainment, or even as gifts. Carry this compassion into 2025 by supporting our work: subscribe to our mailing list where you’ll be the first to hear about our 2025 campaigns, or become an Animal Aid member for as little as £2 a month – you can even give an Animal Aid membership as a gift! 

We hope this list has encouraged you to think differently about how animals are used over the festive period, whether that’s for food, entertainment, or even as gifts. Here’s to a compassionate Christmas for all 💜