I saw the Viva ad promoting veganism at a showing of Star Wars: The Last Jedi today.

Sadly, it was followed by several supermarket ads showcase all the meat available this Christmas. For me, that sums up Christmas as a vegan. Although we are growing in number and share our stories, finds and views in vegan groups on social media, many of us will spend Christmas amongst meat-eaters.

I’ve often said that the festive period is a bad time for the animals – many millions are consigned to dinner plates – and worse…the bin when too much meat is purchased! We also have the festive fox hunts, reindeer cruelly paraded in a foreign climate, unwanted puppies dumped and wildlife left to freeze to death.

However, there are many positives to being a vegan at Christmas too. The local animal sanctuaries, for instance, often receive generous donations at this time of year (donate to Brook Farm sanctuary at http://www.bfas.org.uk/ or Hillside at http://www.hillside.org.uk/ in the UK). Plus, we have Veganuary (https://veganuary.com/ ) to look forward to and there are more and more vegan options to make your Christmas feast delicious as well as compassionate.

I usually buy a Vegusto roast for my Christmas lunch (https://vegusto.co.uk/) They are natural, vegan and soya-free. You do pay a little more than some other roasts, but I think they’re worth it – and great for cold cuts. Being a mushroom addict, I’ve gone for the Porcini Mushroom Roast. They do a great starter pack too – which is a fantastic introduction to their range of fake meats and cheeses.

I have had Tofurkey before too – this seems to be the favoured “meat” of choice for many – and I can’t blame them. It’s available at your local Holland and Barrett and many other health food shops. Again, it seems expensive – but you can feed a family from one roast. The outer layer can get a little tough when it’s roasted, but, other than that, it’s very tasty.

I’ve also tried the Cheatin’ Celebration Roast – also available for Holland and Barrett or http://www.vbitesfoods.com I had this a number of times so you can tell I enjoyed it! It comes with vegan sausages wrapped in vegan bacon – so you get a proper Christmas feeling from it – the roast itself is already sliced too – an added bonus! It comes with gravy too. Of course, you can buy nut roasts in many places, including Tesco – https://myvegansupermarket.co.uk/product/tesco-festive-nut-roast-mulled-wine-cranberry-480g/ – or make your own – there are many recipes online, and people have their own takes on this classic too.

There are many posts in vegan groups about finding vegan-friendly cakes and puddings over Christmas – and specialist websites often stock them – but I got my mince pies from Iceland and my Christmas pudding from B&M. It’s often a case of just looking through the ingredients – something vegans have become very good at over the years. As I get older, I’m finding I have to keep my glasses on while I shop so I can read the ingredient small print of products!

Many supermarkets now stock vegan custard and single cream and Sainsbury’s now stock a vegan Whipped Cream in a spray can – and, again, you can buy it in a can or carton at many health food shops anyway – even Amazon stock it! I must give Costa’s vegan-friendly Christmas cake slices the thumbs-up too – well worth a try if you’re popping in for a coffee over Christmas.

Linda McCartney now produces mini-sausage rolls and “chipolata-style” sausages for that Christmas tea – and you may have seen the posts about the Violife cheese platter available at Sainsbury’s.

There are festive selection boxes available everywhere – I saw a vegan one in Morrisons yesterday – or you could splash out and go for a box of Booja-booja – very nice for indulgent vegans.

The point is, there are so many vegan products now available, it’s impossible to cover them all in one blog. I, personally, love my traditional veg – the best festive products to consume on a budget. I fry my sprouts – chop them up tiny, fry with diced onion, garlic, lemon juice and black pepper for about three minutes – they are tasty and still have a nice crunch to them for 30 minutes also works well.

It’s easy to get downhearted by the obvious contradiction in celebrating through what vegans see as death and destruction of animals. But, just by showing off the vegan alternatives you are opening people’s minds to the possibility of another way of marking the occasion. We can buy ethical presents, eat ethical foods and drink ethical drinks – but we don’t have to spend a fortune in doing so.

For me, it’s good to remember that Christmas doesn’t have to be extravagant, the DIY experience brings joy to the cooking and present-making process and strips away some of the stress – after all, Christmas is supposed to be merry for everybody – whatever the species.

As for the film, well Star Wars has been a festive treat for many of us over the past couple of years – and this one has several vegan undertones!