نویسنده: Charis.Collier

We’re back with another round-up of unique Christmas gifts so you can focus on the joys of gifting this festive season and beyond.

 

Our gift to you

Everything covered in this list of Christmas gift ideas is Vegan Trademark certified so we’ve done the hard work to ensure they’re suitable for vegans, taking the pressure off you so you can indulge in the joy of choosing the perfect gifts for your loved ones (and you!)

The Vegan Society’s Christmas Hamper

Who doesn’t love a hamper to savour the festive spirit over the days after Christmas? Our first gift recommendation is an extra special one as it’s one we put together ourselves with our Trademark holders and in partnership with The Goodness Project. It’s a first for The Vegan Society and packed with delicious Vegan Trademark certified treats from Italian sparkling wine to fudge, all wrapped up in recyclable packaging and a tree planted with every purchase. It’s perfect for a kind, sustainable and eclectic Christmas present this year.

See what’s inside and purchase it via The Goodness Project.

The Gift of Fun

The Vegan Society has also just launched a fun merch collection that makes for perfect gifts. Ranging from a vegan keyring to tote bags and t-shirts, there’s something to suit every budget. We recommend one of our plastic-free badges for the perfect stocking stuffer, suitable for children and adults alike.

 Available on our online shop.

Something Sparkling

It isn’t Christmas without a little sparkle. Plus, we all have that one friend who’s obsessed with kombucha. If you’re wanting to gift someone a luxurious, non-alcoholic sparkling beverage or want to contribute to festive dinner parties or the Christmas table, Mighty Brew’s premium cork and cage Heritage Kombucha range is the perfect gift. Choose from their Jasmine Bellini, Rose Blush or Elderflower Sec kombuchas. They’re all Soil Association Organic and Vegan Trademark certified and a nice gut-friendly, non-alcoholic alternative with all the luxury of Champagne and Prosecco.

Available at Mighty Brew’s website and Ocado.

A Scent-sory Delight

UpCircle’s beautifully bottled perfumes Flaura and Santelle, made with 16 upcycled botanicals between them, are delightful and sustainable gifting options. In true UpCircle style, they’re refillable and come with the option of being gift-wrapped in furoshiki cloth, an eco-friendly alternative to disposable wrapping paper, meaning you have one less present to wrap. Your gift receiver can keep the circular economy in motion by gifting the cloth as part of a present, too, or returning it for you to re-use. The glass bottle can also be upcycled for décor or sent back to UpCircle to be refilled at 20% less than the standard product price. 

Shop now at UpCircle.

Sweet Things

Another treat Christmas is simply not complete without. Here are just a few sweet Christmas present ideas for gifting either on their own or why not create a personalised bundle?

• Booja Booja Award Winning Truffle Selection. Your vegan loved ones don’t have to miss out on a chocolate selection box this Christmas! Encased within, you’ll find 16 truffles in various flavours, created from simple, carefully chosen, vegan and Soil Association Organic certified ingredients.
• Raw Halo Bars and Truffle Centres Bars. Raw Halo make OF&G Organic certified chocolate with ingredients from small organic farms in a social enterprise chocolate factory, are sweetened with coconut sugar, and use plastic-free, recyclable wrapping. Glowing with good vibes, they’re perfect for a little everyday luxury.
• ASDA OMV! Gingerbread Flavour Loaded Choc Slab, Espresso Martini Flavour Loaded Choc Bar, Dark Choc & Honeycomb Cake Pop Bites, Cinnamon Hot Choc Pearls & Mallows and Double Choc & Hazelnut Cookies are some great accessible options.
• Moo Free have super adorable festive chocolates for children and grown-ups alike that would make a great chocolate basket or a little extra. Choices include their small ‘Milk’ Chocolate Santa and White Chocolate Snowman bars to their Orange Choccy Bauble and Oscar The Bear Marbled Chocolate teddy.
• Sweet Freedom Barista Coffee Syrups – something for the coffee lover in your life. Available in convenient 250ml and one litre bottles, they come in Caramel, Vanilla and Hazelnut flavours and like their other syrups and spreads, are sweetened with fruit instead of refined sugar or artificial sweeteners.

Presents to Pamper

LUSH Candles and Bath Products

LUSH’s natural wax base candles made with rapeseed wax, coconut oil, coconut wax and castor wax come in beautiful, frosted glass which is reusable or recyclable. Check out their uplifting Orange Blossom and refreshing The Olive Branch candles.

With a whole host of festive bubble bars and bath bombs certified with The Vegan Society like their Snow Fairy Wand and Butterball, these make for great stocking fillers, Secret Santa gifts or little extras. Look out for the Vegan Trademark on their products when shopping.

Order online or pop into your local store.

Oliver Bonas 7 Days of Pampering

For unique Christmas gifts, nothing says ‘you’re special’ like a week’s worth of pampering! With seven doors to open and reveal a new skincare or pamper gift inside, 7 Days of Pampering from Oliver Bonas gifts your family and friends the opportunity to carry on the joy of advents beyond Christmas.

Loopeco Luxury Skincare

The gift that gives back… Launched on Earth Day 2021, Loopeco’s luxury vegan skincare was curated to benefit skin, well-being and the planet using upcycled ingredients from the food industry and plastic-free packaging. Loopeco reduce water consumption across their supply chain as much as possible. They have also partnered with Carbon Footprint to commit to carbon neutrality, as well as to help bring clean drinking water to villages in Uganda. If that wasn’t enough to make this a thoughtful Christmas gift, the range is beautifully designed and luxuriously scented to make your loved one feel truly pampered. Bonus - it will look great in their home too!

Check out their Vegan Trademark certified range on their website.

ASDA Gift Sets

ASDA also have festive bath bombs including their Santa Soak Bath Fizzer as well as a large selection of affordable beauty kits and pamper gift sets to choose from if you're hoping to ace your gifting game on a budget. With different collections for kids and adults alike, these gifts would be a wonderful last-minute option, thanks to their accessibility in local ASDA stores. Just look for the Vegan Trademark on the packaging when shopping for their vegan products. 

Christmas Kicks

Indulge the sneaker obsessive in your life with some vegan Superdry trainers from their Basket Lux range, including styles like their Vegan Basket Lux high tops and Vintage Vegan Basket low tops. It’s a stylish and practical present all wrapped in one.

Practical Presents

Speaking of practical Christmas presents, here are a few more that your near and dear will be bound to love and get good use out of!

Lavender and Lemon Cleaning Products

Made with organic, biodegradable ingredients that are Cosmos and EcoCert approved, free from phthalates, synthetic fragrance, and harmful chemicals, and packaged in stylish aluminium bottles that are refillable, Lavender and Lemon cleaning products are a great eco-friendly and practical gift. Their products include an All Purpose Cleaner, Cleaning Powder, Gentle Laundry Detergent and Washing Up Liquid.⁠ The festive period can get overwhelming and messy fast, with hosting friends and family, preparing tasty food, and maybe little ones running around causing chaos, so these gifts may be a welcome addition to the house on Christmas morning.

Bumboo Toilet Paper

With every box purchased of Bumboo’s soft, vegan bamboo toilet paper, Bumboo plant a tree by working with Eden Reforestation Projects which helps communities devastated by deforestation to restore forests and their livelihoods. For a limited time, the rolls come wrapped in festive paper, perfect for you to reuse as gift wrap. Check out their Instagram for fun ideas on how to upcycle their packaging for the festive season and beyond.

VEG 1 and VEG 1 Baby & Toddler Vitamins 

There’s nothing like, quite literally, nourishing your loved ones in time for all the festive fun and beyond - what better way to do that than by having them topped up on vitamins? Our VEG 1 multivitamin range has something for the whole family, from six months right through to adulthood. Including sought-after nutrients vitamin B12, vitamin D, iodine and selenium, the VEG 1 range blends convenience and affordability, all while prioritising health.

Shop on our website, Etsy or eBay.

 

We hope this gift guide has provided you with lots of inspiration for some great gifts for your loved ones, and maybe you've even spotted a treat or two to add to your Christmas list! Make sure to send this to a friend if so, as a subtle hint!

Look out for a gift-wrapping reel coming to our Instagram this December for ideas and inspiration on how to wrap some of these gifts more sustainably. If you buy any of these suggestions for your loved ones (or are a lucky receiver!), be sure to share photos with us and tag @vegantrademark on Instagram and Twitter (X).

By Vegan Society Brand Marketing Officer, Nishat Rahman.

Chocolate lovers, it’s that time of year again! December is nearly here which means we are going to unwrap a list of the vegan advent calendars you can enjoy this festive season.

In this final week of World Vegan Month, we are looking ahead to the festive season and celebrating the range of advent calendars we have certified with the Vegan Trademark. Pick one (or a couple) up in time for the start of December, because the joy of an advent calendar is for everyone, and dodging dairy isn’t a reason to miss out! As with all our recommendations, the products featured are registered with the Vegan Trademark – our specialist team have done the hard work checking that there are no animal ingredients in these products, so you can enjoy these chocolatey treats in peace!

ASDA OMV! Advent Calendar

New this year, count down all the way to Christmas Day with ASDA’s Advent Calendar chocolates from their brand, OMV! Enjoy 25 days of Vegan Trademark certified milk choc treats, made from a rice-based alternative to milk and sustainably sourced cocoa (certified with Cocoa Horizons). Check out more of ASDA’s OMV! Christmas treats range in our reel and head to your local store for all the stocking stuffers you could need!

Available at ASDA

Monty Bojangles Advent Calendar with Cocoa Dusted Chocolate Vegan Truffles 

Monty Bojangles’ Christmas advent calendar features cocoa-dusted vegan truffles tucked away behind beautifully illustrated doors, just begging to be opened this December (that is, if you’ve got the patience!) There are three flavours to taste: Cocoa Nib Nights, Berry Blush and Caramel Haze. 

Available at Ocado and Monty Bojangles’ website.

Divine Dark 70% Chocolate Advent Calendar 

Divine offers a dark chocolate vegan advent calendar, tailor-made for those craving a rich and dark chocolate experience this festive season. Plus, it proudly carries the Vegan Trademark certification! The chocolate is smooth and packed with flavour, crafted from the finest cocoa sourced from the Kuapa Kokoo Farmers Union in Ghana.

Available at Ocado and Waitrose.

Moo Free Original ‘Milk’ Chocolate Advent Calendar 

Moo Free's advent calendars cater to the entire family, offering a delightful variety of fun chocolate shapes behind each door. For those who crave a sweet, milk chocolate taste, Moo Free presents a 'Milk' Chocolate Advent Calendar that's not only vegan but also gluten-free and soya-free.

Available at Sainsbury’s, Lidl, Aldi and Tesco.

 

Moo Free White Chocolate Advent Calendar 

For a unique festive treat, Moo Free has created an advent calendar featuring their beloved dairy-free white chocolate into an advent calendar suitable for the whole family. Like the previous option, this advent calendar sold here is dairy-free, gluten-free, and soya-free.

Available at Sainsbury’s, Lidl, Aldi and Moo Free’s website. 

PLAYin Choc 24 Day Advent Calendar 

Ideal for both kids and adults, PLAYin Choc have a 24-day organic advent calendar filled with vegan chocolate, featuring a 3D puzzle toy and a 'fun facts vegan milk chocolate' card in each drawer. After enjoying the treats, the outer sleeve can be unfolded into a festive landscape for additional play.

Available on PLAYin CHOC’s website. 

PLAYin Choc 12 Day Advent Calendar 

If you’re after something smaller and slower to unravel across alternate days, PLAYin Choc offers a 12-day advent calendar, each drawer containing a 3D puzzle toy and a 'fun facts' card. Additionally, PLAYin Choc ensures their chocolate is free from refined sugars, sourced from fair trade cacao on small, family-owned farms, and packaged in recyclable materials.

Available on PLAYin CHOC’s website. 

From all of us at The Vegan Society, we’d like to wish you a very happy festive season. Don’t forget to tag @vegantrademark in pictures of your vegan advent calendars on Instagram and X (Twitter)! 

By Vegan Society Brand Marketing Officer, Charis Collier 

Every November, World Vegan Month gives us the opportunity to celebrate vegans everywhere, as well as the people, campaigns, and products that have got us to where we are today. With over 65,000+ products certified by the Vegan Trademark, it’s clear to see how the landscape for vegans the world over has changed over the past century.

Through conversations with two of our members, Lynne and Georgina, combined with expert advice from our vegan dietician, we will hear how vegans over 60 can, and do, continue thriving through their diet, exercise routine and overall wellbeing. We will also talk about some of their favourite Vegan Trademarked kitchen and cosmetic staples.

The Vegan Society and the Vegan Trademark

Just shy of 80 years ago, The Vegan Society was founded to advocate for a lifestyle without the use of animal products and exploitation. From coining the term ‘Vegan’ in the 40s, to working with global brands to certify revolutionary vegan products in the present day, The Vegan Society has been an integral part of the vegan movement.

Thanks to the huge growth in popularity veganism has seen over the past decade, some people may consider veganism to be a ‘new trend’. However, vegans have been making lifestyle swaps for a very long time, well before the Vegan Trademark was established in 1990, to make finding vegan products on the shelves a whole lot easier. Yes, we’re talking about a time way before vegan options in every restaurant, cactus leather handbags, and the entire vegan beauty ranges we see today.

Since registering one of our first brands, Bio D, the Vegan Trademark team have certified nearly 70,000 products, with thorough checks to ensure they fit our strict standards. You can read more about the Vegan Trademark standards here.

“I just did it!” — Lynne, vegan 25+ years

One trailblazer who made the switch long before it was an easily accessible choice is Lynne, who went vegan in the late 90s, after having been vegetarian 5 years before that.

We chatted with her about how after reading information on how our food is made, the choice became obvious and the switch, for her, was overnight. She “just did it”, a testament to her willpower, as she acknowledges it was “very hard” to go vegan at the time.

“In my time, you made everything yourself because there wasn’t a lot of choice”, said Lynne. She went on to mention that eating out at restaurants was “not easy” and is a lot better now. However, she has encountered new challenges due to also moving to being gluten-free.

Before readily accessible protein swaps in the supermarket, many people had to make their own options at home. Pulses, beans and tofu were and continue to be great whole food staples for vegan protein, which is important for all life stages, but especially important as we get older. Did you know older adults need 30-60% more protein, in order to help prevent muscle mass loss? Read more nutritional guidance from our dieticians here.

We asked about products registered with the Vegan Trademark, both long-standing favourites and new additions, and the cleaning range from Bio-D, our longest continual Trademark holder, came up as a firm favourite. Clearspring Tamari Soy Sauce and Booja-Booja ice creams and chocolates are also kitchen staples for Lynne.

As we all know, a vegan lifestyle isn’t just about what you eat – the Vegan Trademark registers items across a huge range of categories, one of which is cosmetics, which Lynne also mentioned in her interview, touting LUSH’s Eyes Right Mascara, as a must for her makeup bag, along with eyeshadows from Tropic.

Did you know the Vegan Trademark’s biggest category of products is cosmetics? Our standards certify that products do not contain any animal ingredients and that they have not been tested on animals at the initiative of the company or on its behalf, or by parties over whom the company has effective control.

The Vegan Society has a campaign, Vegan and Thriving that celebrates how you can have a nutritious and balanced vegan diet at all stages. We asked Lynne what thriving as a vegan means to her, and she said, “I’m 67, and I consider for my age, I do very well. I do lots of exercise every day… walking the dog, weights, yoga”. For her, a nutritious vegan diet and daily exercise are essential for her wellbeing, and are the key building blocks to thriving over 60.

As someone with a wealth of experience leading a vegan lifestyle, we also asked Lynne to share any advice for new vegans, or people interested in becoming vegan, and she highlighted the importance of knowing your facts about nutrition, as it is easy to become deficient in vitamin B12 and vitamin D.

“It makes me feel like I am part of something that I believe in. To belong to an all vegan organisation … it’s a community”

 — why being a member of The Vegan Society is important to Lynne.

Finally, as a cup of tea is a staple in most homes, I wanted to know what Lynne’s milk alternative of choice for her cuppa was … “Unfortunately I don’t drink tea”, was her response, but she does make her own almond milk! A treat for Lynne if out and about would be a hot chocolate made with coconut milk. You can find a guide to Vegan Trademark-registered vegan milk alternatives listed here.

“If you feel you really want to make a difference, move to a vegan lifestyle, and go to The Vegan Society for information and support — ”Georgina, vegan 5+ years

We also spoke to Georgina, who has been vegetarian since she was 16, due to concern about animal welfare and an interest in health and wellbeing.

“I wasn’t terribly keen on meat, and I certainly wasn’t keen on the idea of killing animals”, she says of her motivations to make that shift to a vegetarian diet. The increasing information available about veganism as the movement grew in the early 2000s pushed Georgina to make more swaps to dairy-free options, and the increasing accessibility for shifting to a vegan lifestyle more recently helped empower Georgina to eventually make the switch.

We chatted about a range of things, but perhaps the most crucial is knowing her opinion on milk alternatives — Alpro unsweetened soya drink is Georgina’s go-to for a cuppa, whereas she’ll opt for almond or oat drink in a coffee!

“Thriving means feeling healthy physically and mentally, so you have the energy you need to do day to day things, but also the energy, enthusiasm and vitality so you can engage with new things. It’s about mind, body and spirit — thriving in all of those elements, and veganism, knowing you’re contributing to the environment and welfare of animals, is what’s important to me, and what thriving means”

 – what thriving as a vegan means to Georgina

Georgina mentioned that as time has gone on, “there’s a greater choice” in vegan options, and also remarked that “the taste is much better in products available” now. Speaking of Vegan Trademark products, Georgina specifically mentioned that she is a “big fan” of Alpro yoghurts, labelling them her “go-to brand”. As well as Alpro, Violife cheese is also a regular staple in her shopping basket.

When we asked about her cosmetic favourites, Georgina said, “The Body Shop is great, I do buy a lot from there, both their toiletries and cosmetics”. Specifically, she likes the Vitamin E range. Georgina described how she loves a “natural look” with an SPF moisturiser (an excellent tip for all skin types — read our blog on vegan sun care here), facial tint, a little bit of bronzer, and mascara — which are all products she loves from The Body Shop.

As with Lynne, I wanted to know what made Georgina feel like she is thriving as a vegan over 60, and any choices she has made about her nutrition as she gets older.

“I am more conscious of the need to eat well”, said Georgina. “It’s very important to ensure you eat a wide range of food types, that you ensure you have adequate protein, fruit, vegetables, vitamins and minerals. I also do take a multivitamin.”

Going on to discuss mental wellbeing and your lifestyle’s alignment with your values, Georgina said, “it’s about mind, body and spirit — thriving in all of those elements, and veganism, knowing you’re contributing to the environment and welfare of animals, is what’s important to me, and what thriving means”.

“I want to support a society that’s actually campaigning and is an active voice for those who lead a vegan lifestyle. I also get a lot of information from The Vegan Society for Vegan products, nutritional advice and recipes”

— why being a member of The Vegan Society is important to Georgina.

Finally, I asked Georgina for her tips for any new vegans. Georgina said, “I would want to really make them feel welcome and part of a community. Go to The Vegan Society website as a first port of call to help guide your choices. I’d really emphasise the moral and ethical side of the lifestyle, as it makes such a difference. Even just me as an individual, I feel I have an impact on the environment and the broader welfare of all living creatures.”

Georgina also said: “If you feel you really want to make a difference, move to a vegan lifestyle, and go to The Vegan Society for information and support”.

Here are our 5 top tips for supporting a healthy lifestyle as you get older:

1. Balanced nutrition. Ensure you’re getting essential nutrients that are harder to come by on a vegan diet such as B12, vitamin D, iodine and selenium through fortified foods or supplements. The Vegan Society’s multivitamin, VEG 1 is designed by vegans, for vegans and is available for purchase here. Include a variety of fruits, vegetables, whole grains and legumes in your diet for essential nutrients.

2. Protein power. Don’t neglect plant-based protein at every meal, if possible. This helps to support muscle health and maintain energy levels. Some options available are tofu from Cauldron, Plant Based Fillets from Moving Mountains, and Smokey Sweet Potato Sausages from Gosh!

3. Bone health. Make sure to include calcium-rich foods like fortified plant milk, tofu and leafy greens to support bone health.

4. Joyful movement. Find movement that feels enjoyable and enriching for you to help support your physical and mental health.

5. Community matters. Look after your mental health by engaging in social connections, whether that’s with family and friends, participating in community events, vegan meetups or group sports. The importance of emotional wellbeing cannot be overstated so lean into your support system.

Whether you are a vegan over 60, who has been a longstanding trailblazer, or someone making that shift later in life, thanks to the increased visibility and accessibility of the vegan movement, a vegan lifestyle can be healthy and fulfilling at all stages. Thank you to our members who took part in this interview to share their experiences as vegans over 60, and Happy World Vegan Month to vegans across our entire community!

Don’t forget to follow Vegan Trademark on Instagram and Twitter (X) for all the latest product updates.

By Vegan Society Brand Marketing Officer, Charis Collier