Thanksgiving Eve Magic

Each year the day before Thanksgiving, revelers young in age, and some just young at heart, gather outside the American Museum of Natural History in New York City to watch the balloons blown up for Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade. I was one of the wide-eyed spectators again this year.

Getting there as soon as it begins at 3 PM means beating the crowds, and just finding some of the balloons in a semi-deflated state.

Getting ready for showtime: Macy's workers.

Too short? Get a lift! There's a lot to see...

...just take a look:









Being a child of the 80s, I was a serious Smurf fan. I'm talking figurines, sheet set, Smurfette lunch box, Smurfette Halloween costume in the second grade. I even had a Smurf game for ColecoVision (remember that?)

Even a few doggies joined in on the fun.

Remember when simple things made so many of us happy?

Believe in the magic of feeling like a kid again.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanksliving Dinner: Turkeys in Our Hearts, Not on The Table

This Sunday, I gathered with about 40 others in sharing a humane pre-Thanksgiving dinner held by God's Creatures Ministry.

Each place setting included a key chain that said "Contentment" and on the back a quote:

"Lord, help me to be grateful for what I have, to remember that I don't need most of what I want, and that joy is found in simplicity and generosity" - Enough by Adam Hamilton.

Whether you invoke this as a prayer or just a philosophy, they are thoughtful words to remember as we enter the holiday season of dietary and materialistic excess.

Now, for the meal. Can't go wrong with grapes alongside hummus and French onion pita chips from veg-friendly Trader Joe's.

My beverage choice: sparkling cider. I was the designated driver for the evening.

Tofurkey and all the trimmings: stuffing, green beans, mashed potatoes and gravy, corn, and rolls.

A sampling of desserts: rice pudding, chocolate cake, and my favorite of the evening, apple crisp.

I love tricky tray auctions! I was pining over this basket filled with Trader Joe's goodies. It went home with someone else.


I met so many caring activists, including representatives from the League of Humane Voters, Friends of Wayne Animals, all-creatures.org, and the Animal Protection League of New Jersey.

Every Thanksgiving, millions of Americans place a turkey in their cart, just as it was another item such as cranberry sauce or green beans. I would guess that most give little thought, as they do with most animal products, about the life of the turkey. Many with crippling foot and leg problems due to their genetically-manipulated weight; transported under horrid conditions (they can be legally transported for up to 28 hours without food, water or rest); and slaughtered in even worse conditions (turkeys and other poultry are excluded from the Humane Slaughter Act), all according to Farm Sanctuary. Learn more.

They eat it simply because they are trained to. Because this is part of a "tradition." Well this is one cruel tradition I've broken from for two decades, and am proud to do so again this year. I don't want to celebrate gratitude and life by causing death, simply because that's what the rest of society embraces.

Be proud to shun turkey this year if you are the lone vegetarian at your table. In the film Ratatouille, the once embittered food critic Anton Ego who has had a new awakening said, "The world is often unkind to new talent, new creations. The new needs friends." People are afraid or mock veg diets because they are new - unknown, different. Stand tall, knowing that you are a pioneer and friend of the new.

Hold the Butter on My Toast Please, Snoopy

It's almost Thanksgiving!

While not a happy time for vegans, there are reasons to make one feel like a kid again. Waiting for your favorite balloon to come down the Macy's Day Thanksgiving Parade while on the couch under a blanket with a mug of non-dairy cocoa. In New York City, kids young and old can watch the balloons being blown up the night before. It's simply magical. I'm 34, and still never miss A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving. Snoopy and Woodstock even cooked a vegetarian feast of pretzels, popcorn and toast, much to the dismay of Peppermint Patty and the gang.

And I love the idea of an entire holiday devoted to giving thanks. Sarah Ban Breathnech, in her book Simple Abundance, encourages us on a path guided by six principles: gratitude, simplicity, order, harmony, beauty and joy. In a passage on gratitude, she quotes Melody Beattie, who stated,

"Gratitude...turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow."

Not on my dinner plate this year, turkey. This beauty lives at the Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary. Flackback to my visit, and yummy vegan eats. My mouth still waters thinking about the cinnamon French toast.

This year, I also plan to give thanks over a Gentle Thanksgiving Dinner hosted by God's Creatures Ministry. Whatever your religious stripes, you can share a humane meal including Tofurkey, wine and desserts. The dinner takes place next Sunday, November 22nd at 3:00 p.m. in Lakeland Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, 231 Parish Drive, Wayne, NJ. RSVP with a suggested $20 per person donation by November 18th. Learn more.

Not in the area? Find similar events all over the country on Gentle Thanksgiving. Find recipes including Cranberry Sauce, Sweet Potatoes, Cornbread Muffins, and Vegan Pumpkin or Squash Pie.

If you're not a vegan or vegetarian, consider just trying to eliminate animal by-products from a recipe when it's possible. When I switched from lacto-ovo vegetarianism to veganism, it was eye-opening how animal products are in everything, when many times they don't need to be.

Here's to gratitude, awareness, great vegan food, and the joy of feeling like a kid again. Oh, my favorite balloon? Snoopy, of course!

The Post-Thanksgiving Play-By-Play

The national day of gluttony has passed, and another holiday of gluttony is drawing closer. In a time of food and financial shortages, I am resisting the peer-pressure to gorge myself and empty my wallet.

Sadly, not only did a turkey have to die for the dinner I attended, but so did a pig and several fish. This is a common trend with people I've compared notes with and I'm very saddened by it. Why holidays and other celebrations equal an excessive amount of food (particularly meat) I cannot grasp. Our wallets, waistlines, consciences and the animals would all benefit from a little more modesty.

Luckily, my hosts were very accommodating with my vegan palate, and I feasted on spinach salad with pears and dried blueberries, grilled vegetables, butternut squash, rice pilaf, and cranberry sauce. I didn't even need my Whole Foods Market vegan dinner for one, which I ate the next day (although this could actually be a vegan dinner for two!) The curried apple pumpkin soup and the holiday roast were descent (I could have done without the curry in the soup and the roast needed gravy), while the green beans with almonds were totally undercooked. The mini pecan tart was the saving grace. Tasted just like the non-vegan alternative. That said, I much preferred the cooking demonstration I attended with the holiday portabella mushroom, gravy, cauliflower mash, and vegan pumpkin pie.

Here's a delightful video of "Celebration for the Turkeys," held annually at the California and New York Shelters of Farm Sanctuary. This footage is from 2006 and 2007.



Mark your calenders. Farm Sanctuary is also hosting a Winter Wonderland ball, Thursday, December 4th from 6-10 p.m. at The Art Directors Club, 106 W. 29th St. New York, NY 10001. General admission tickets cost $100.

Gene Baur, the President and Co-Founder of Farm Sanctuary, will be at Borders Columbus Circle NYC, at 7 p.m., Monday, December 8th for a presentation and signing of his book, a must-read, and now in-paperback, a wonderful gift idea or donation to your local library.

A Thanksgiving Message

Two years ago for my birthday, I asked for a pair of leather boots. This year I asked for a turkey from the Farm Sanctuary. Times have sure changed. Gone are my leather boots from Lord & Taylor (donated to the C.A.T.S. resale shop), and I now have my adoption certificate of Serendipity, my stylish, non-leather boots from Payless, and a sense of relief that no animal has to suffer for some fleeting fashion whim.

This can be a depressing time of year for animal advocates. Millions of turkeys suffer so our nation can gorge themselves, and even for such tasteless, appalling events as bowling competitions with frozen turkey carcasses. Each day as I walk to my office in Manhattan, I pass streams of women wearing fur-trimmed coats, hats, bags, boots and beyond.

But I remain thankful. Thankful for the many advocates I have met, from those who organize protests to those who pass out pamphlets on their lunch hour. Thankful for the animals, who have shown such a capacity to forgive and love again, despite our abuse and exploitation. And thankful I have seen the light and am no longer contributing to their suffering.

Whatever you are doing today, whether it's eating a Tofurkey, a holiday portabella mushroom, or even a vegan pizza, we must be thankful for all that we have achieved, and optimistic for the future.

Whenever I get discouraged about all that lies ahead, I remind myself of one of my favorite quotes from "These Days" by R.E.M: "We are young despite the years. We are concern. We are hope despite the times."

Cruelty-free Thanksgiving Recipes

As much as I enjoy perusing cookbooks for inspiration, I love browsing the web even more for recipes. Much like my thrift store hobby, it's creative, fun, and better yet, doesn't cost $20 and collect dust on the top of my refrigerator. The animals rights groups score an "A" for publishing mouth-watering, comfort holiday food recipes online. And you need not be Emeril to pull them off. Here are some easy-breezy recipe sites. You'll wonder why turkey was ever on the table at all.

*PETA's VegCooking Holiday Recipe Guide. Includes hot artichoke dip, broccoli and cauliflower bisque, sweet potato biscuits, and pumpkin patch cheesecake.

*The Humane Society's Favorite Recipes list. Includes cranberry hot punch, butternut squash soup, faux turkey casserole, and miniature apple pies.
*Farm Sanctuary's Compassionate Thanksgiving Recipes. Includes holiday portabella with vegan gravy, millet-cauliflower mash, green beans almondine, and pumpkin pie with glazed pecans and tofu whipped cream.

I attended a cooking demonstration of these Farm Sanctuary recipes at The Loft Salon in NYC that was led by Christine Waltermyer of the Natural Kitchen Cooking School located in Princeton, NJ. You and your guests will love any and all of these cruelty-free and heart-healthy recipes.

Vegan Thanksgiving Dinner for 1 at Whole Foods Market

Not able to face the days after Thanksgiving coming up with creative ways to use your leftover Tofurkey? Tofurkey sandwiches? Tofurkey casserole? Tofurkey soup? Tofurkey breakfast hash?

My area Whole Food Market (Chelsea NYC) has come to the rescue, offering a complete vegan dinner for one for $19.99. This includes:
Curried apple pumpkin soup
Holiday roast, stuffed with wild rice and dried cranberries
Green beans with almonds
Mini pecan tart

Bon Appétit!