Dear Dad and Monica, I realize this is a big request, and it will be fine if you don’t feel comfortable with it, but I have to ask. I was wondering if there was any way that this Christmas Eve we could have a turkey-free/meat-free dinner. I have tons of recipes for stuff we could make—lasagna, cheesecake, potatoes, etc. And some things like bread rolls, corn, and potatoes can be SO easily made cruelty-free just by using Blue Bonnet Light margarine instead of butter. I know I’m a pain in the butt, but since I’ve learned how animals suffer egregious abuse from birth to slaughter, it’s going to be harder than ever to watch people eat meat. When I see an animal as food, I see an individual animal, as distinct in personality as my dog or cats. I wonder what kind of life he or she had—broken wings, infected eyes, crippled legs—and the only solace I have is knowing that he or she is at least no longer suffering. I can’t help it, because I know that these animals, while they may not be as cute as dogs and cats and while society has taught us that it’s OK to eat them, feel just as much pain and suffering and sadness as any animal. I don’t think I’m better than everyone else, but I do know, with all my heart, that these beautiful creatures don’t deserve what they endure on these horrible factory farms and slaughterhouses. I have tried to prepare myself for all of the bodies I’ll see when I’m home, and every time I picture that bird on the table being hacked apart, it just brings tears to my eyes. I realize that I will have to see them at Grandma’s and everywhere else I go for Christmas, but even just knowing that one bird was spared would thrill me to no end! I’m going to stick a leaflet and video in the mail for you (and just remember that if it’s painful to watch, it’s 1,000 times more painful for the animals to live through it; this video literally changes lives—both human and animal.), but in the meantime, here are some facts to consider: • Three hundred million turkeys are slaughtered every year in this country. • In the wild, turkeys live for 12 to 15 years, but on factory farms, they live an average of 20 weeks. • On modern factory farms, tens of thousands of turkeys are crammed into single warehouses, where disease, smothering, and heart attacks are common. • Turkeys are mutilated by declawing and debeaking without anesthetics; neither of these is a painless procedure—imagine having the tips of your fingers and nose cut off. • After a hellish ride to the slaughterhouse, oftentimes in weather extremes—so hot that they die from heatstroke, so cold that they freeze to death—and with no food or water, their horrific lives end when they are hung upside-down and their throats are slit, often while they’re fully conscious. Thanks for reading this. I know you guys are stuck in your ways and this may seem absurd to you, and if it does, I will just make lots of veggie food for myself and others to try. Love you, Laurie