Hallmark Debuts Vegan Christmas Commercial

Greeting card giant Hallmark chose to highlight veganism in its new holiday commercial entitled “Vegan Christmas.” The ad features a family sitting down for a vegan holiday meal, where a grandfather character complains about the lack of ham. While the husband says, “honey, the food looks fantastic,” the commercial makes a point to poke fun at what vegans eat, listing “tofu brick with scallion wash” and “seaweed salad with lavender” as offerings at the table. At the end of the minute-long ad, grandpa goes on a mission to find ham in the refrigerator—which turns out is loaded with nothing but fresh produce and green juices—and is given a Hallmark pig ornament from his daughter to satisfy his search for ham. While veganism is not portrayed in the most positive of light, the commercial symbollizes mainstream regognition that holiday family meals are changing—with more people than ever opting to leave animal products off the table.