Our world is a mostly non-vegan one, and navigating it is one of the biggest challenges that vegans face. The holidays are no different.

You may find yourself smack dab in the middle of a situation where you are the only vegan, surrounded by curious friends or family members who may or may not agree with veganism.

While some situations are easy to avoid, others are not, and so there are no blanket answers when dealing with people. But here are a few tips to help you navigate social activities this holiday as a vegan.

1. Bring a Vegan Dish to Share

While some people or organizations will go out of their way to ensure vegan food is available at functions, some, most, a lot won’t. One easy way to solve the problem is to bring a dish to share. Not only will you have something to eat, but you’ll also have the opportunity to introduce vegan food to others.

Be sure to check with the host or hostess of the event to ensure bringing food is appropriate.

2. Offer to Help Cook

Bring along some common substitutes (think vegan butter, plant milk, etc.) and jump into the kitchen to help out.

3. Get Ready for the Questions

People will be naturally curious about your vegan life. Resist the urge to go into a presentation about the many ways we use animals or make remarks about the non-vegan [insert food/drink here].

Instead, keep a few impactful facts handy for any questions people aks you and direct them to gather more information on their own time, outside the holiday. Offer to follow up with additional resources.

Doing so will help keep conversations light, perfect for those festive and merry occasions.

Getting a non-vegan gift as a vegan can create some tricky situations, mainly depending on who the gifter is. They are expressions of love, so the last thing you want to do is hurt someone’s feelings.

You have two options: Accept the gift, or gently refuse it, and there are pros and cons to each. But what if you do accept the non-vegan gift, what do you do with it? Donate it? Regift it?

Since the answers can be deeply personal, I decided to turn to the vegan community to see what they had to say.

One of the best articles I found that explores all the nuances of vegan gift-getting is from my friend Cadry of Cadry’s Vegan Kitchen. Her approach is not only doable, but also it’s filled with wise advice for new vegans and experienced ones, too.

“In the same way that becoming vegan is a learning process, it’s also a learning process for the people in our lives. Over time, people understand when we gently guide with love and compassion.” – Cadry

For me, her approach embodies the same compassion and spirit that make gifts so special. Click to read the full article, Vegan at Christmas: How to Handle Non-Vegan Gifts.