|
Vegan Holidays
Creating Holiday Traditions
by Tammie Ortlieb
As a young family my husband and I wore out the road between my parents' home and that of my in-laws. It was this dinner here, that dinner there, open this here, observe that there. Meanwhile, our own newly created home remained dark and desolate, not unlike a ghost town at sundown. I longed for the days (not to be dramatic with word usage, I actually did long) when we would begin our own family and create our own traditions.
Article continues below
But when that time actually came I wasn't quite sure how to go about the whole creating traditions business. His? Mine? A combination of the two? Something totally different? We had grown up with fairly similar backgrounds as far as religion, observances, the whole basic story, but, ooooh, where to begin with establishing practices that would someday form the basis of our adult children's holiday memories. Whew! Such a responsibility.
To save you a bit of brain strain during the holiday hustle, I have assembled some ideas gathered from my own experiences and those of neighbors, friends, family, and anyone else who cared to share with me. Just keep in mind that the best traditions add value to family life, not stress. In my book, anything stress inducing is eliminated. Regard this list, if you will, as a springboard from which to jump. Get creative and don't forget to survey the children! Some of our fondest memories come from ideas dreamed up by little minds. Good luck and happy holidays.
Creating Traditions: a primer
Create cookie trays for the neighbors
Get the kids involved. Let them help decide which cookies to make and who gets a tray. Tie an apron around their little waists and pass out the cookie cutters. Spend an entire day at this, wrapping your creations in tissue, bows, or bright gift bags. Don't forget to include a "from our house to yours" tag! Try Tanya Barnard and Sarah Kramer's (The Garden of Vegan) Mum's Sugar Cookies, Maureen's Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies, or Cranberry Almond Cookies. Isa Chandra Moskowitz (Vegan With a Vengeance) has a few recipes that would be great additions to a holiday cookie platter—Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies, Crispy Peanut Butter Cookies, and Sparkled Ginger Cookies.
Give homemade food gifts as presents to family members
If you have a specialty—jams or jellies, banana split bread, or, yes, even fruitcake—this is the time to show off your talents. Everyone enjoys receiving homemade goodies made especially for them. Choose pretty jars, platters, or decorative wrap to highlight the beauty of the food itself. A friend, one Christmas, gave me a simple jar of granola. But it was encased in the richest red bow which perfectly accentuated the cranberries inside. Care to try it? Her recipe, slightly altered, follows:
Holiday Granola
3 cups oats
1/3 cup coconut
1/3 cup sunflower seeds
1/3 cup chopped pecans
1/3 cup chopped almonds
½ teaspoon cinnamon
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup pure maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla
dried raisins/dates/cherries/cranberries to your liking
Stir together oats, coconut, seeds, nuts, and cinnamon in large bowl. Mix in combined oil, syrup, and vanilla. Microwave about 6 minutes. Stir occasionally. Add dried fruit. Microwave 1-2 minutes. Press into baking dish coated with nonstick spray. Cool. Spoon into jar.
Unwrap organic cotton pajamas for holiday pictures
A neighbor's children are allowed to unwrap one present each on Christmas Eve. The present is always the same—their holiday pj's! The kids are excited to start tearing into gifts. Mom and dad have three little ones with a coordinating look for Christmas morning photos. For great organic cotton selections try www.gardenkidsclothing.com,
www.hannaandersson.com, and www.katequinnorganics.com.
Create a "same thing every year" holiday dinner
Kids like routine. They like the familiar. Also, having your menu planned a year ahead of time saves you major headaches at a time you might possibly be preoccupied with shopping, visiting, cooking, cleaning, and decorating. Stick with simple recipes that are nothing more than fancied up mainstays. Long green beans with slivered almonds. Your special mashed potatoes or, better yet, Mollie Katzen's Vanilla-Maple Sweet Potatoes from The Vegetable Dishes I Can't Live Without. A homemade quick bread stuffed with nuts, fruits, and other goodies. For tons of great ideas, my absolute favorite vegan cookbook of all times is Vegan Planet by Robin Robertson. It is absolutely cram packed with recipes from all categories and all countries. You can find everything from Asian Pear and Baby Spinach Salad with Warm Walnut Dressing to Orange Scented Almond Biscotti. The trick to creating a special holiday dinner is to refrain from making the foods at any other time of the year. Create anticipation and ceremony by rolling these treats out only during the holidays.
Spend an evening looking at holiday lights, then head back home for a steamy mug of hot cocoa
Set aside an evening to drive about town enjoying holiday lights and decorations. My family likes to take an annual trek down a local road that displays giant painted Christmas cards on front lawns. We once were treated by carolers who greeted cars and handed out candy canes. My sister's family makes a yearly trip to admire a home that goes all out with the holiday display. I also know of an entire neighborhood that sets out luminaries. It is such an awe-inspiring experience to drive down the streets on a still and snowy night. At the end of the evening, head back home for a steamy mug of hot cocoa. Try the rich, chocolatey recipe at www.manyveggierecipes.com, one of Cathe Olson's Hot Drinks for the Holidays recipes, or search www.vegweb.com for a variation that personalizes the spices to your specific tastes. Make this even more special by giving each child his or her own mug that can only be used during this time of year.
Begin a breakfast tradition
Some families have a special holiday dinner. My family, on the other hand, has a traditional breakfast. Every year we have the same thing. It's not that it's especially yummy or great. It's just that it's etched in our brains as our holiday morning meal. I make it even more memorable by never serving it any other day. I'll need to rethink our tradition this year, I'm afraid, as it's my first holiday as a full out vegan. I've been vegetarian for five years now and our breakfast tradition has served quite well. Unfortunately, egg and cheese casserole that it is, it makes no pretense of even trying to emulate a vegan dish. Keeping tradition this year, I fear, will call for a bit of culinary creativity on my part. For your special meal, you might want to try Vegan Family Favorites' (Erin Pavlina) Stuffed Holiday French Toast with Cranberry Syrup. Yum, yum, and double yum!
Cook a special holiday dinner for a shut in
Just one word on this (and I can hear myself talking to my children, here): How would YOU feel if YOU were all alone for the holidays and had noone to share YOUR dinner with?
Let the kids spend an afternoon decorating sugar cookies with a family member or family friend
My husband's sister began this tradition with her children when they were younger. She buys sprinkles and supplies, bakes the cookies, and has everything all set and ready. Her sister shows up for an afternoon of bonding time with the nieces. The catch is that Mom has to get out of the way for the afternoon so the bonding can occur. Check out The Garden of Vegan (Tanya Barnard and Sarah Kramer) for Mum's Sugar Cookies. You might also try holiday cupcakes instead. Try one of the many recipes in Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World by Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero.
Choose a book to read year after year, a holiday favorite
Every child remembers snuggling for bedtime stories. Choose a book with beautiful illustrations and a positive theme. Spend the big bucks on the hardback copy as you will be using it for many years to come. Cuddling with Mom and Dad in traditional pajamas after having spent an evening looking at lights and sipping hot cocoa—this, my friend, is the way to create holiday memories.
Read also:
Vegetarian at Thanksgiving
Creating Holiday Traditions
Have a Very Vegan Thanksgiving
Fun and Compassionate Family Ideas for the Holidays
Vegan Pumpkin Pie
Tammie Ortlieb is a freelance writer and adjunct instructor with a Master's Degree in Developmental Psychology. She resides in southwest Michigan with her omnivorous husband, four veg kids, and small menagerie of pets. Tammie writes for various vegetarian sources, mostly on being okay with your vegetarian self. She's a book nerd, a research nerd, a health nerd, and a huge glass of soymilk half full kind of creature. Visit her blog at www.middle-agedveganchick.blogspot.com.
| |
Sponsors:
|
