received a leather bag for christmas but im a vegetarian going vegan?

I would thank her and keep it. and a few months before your birthday find a way to work it into the conversation that you rather not have animal products as gifts.

If you haven't been vegan for over 20 years you are going to own leather products. It doesn't make any sense to throw them out. who does that help?

I guess a good argument could be made to donate it to a less fortunate person. But i'm not so sure there are any poor people who really need a leather handbag. But if you know one....

I've been vegan for a while - and i'm not perfect. but the one reason that makes my non-vegan decisions feel good internally is when i stop being vegan to spare someones feelings. Veganism is all about compassion. Compassionate people spare people's feelings - its what they do.

Its not even a vegan issue. its an etiquette issue. when someone gives you a gift you don't want, you thank them. You behave graciously.

On the other hand, if you think you can get away with it, you ask them if they would mind if you exchanged it.

Last week my sister gave me a new blender. she remembered me asking about her blender when I came over for Thanksgiving. But I already bought myself a new blender a few weeks ago. So i asked her if she still had the receipt. She did. and I will exchange it next week. Not a big deal but I'm not sure that I would do that with anyone but my sister.

BTW, I'm thinking of exchanging if for a pleather handbag. :)

I would thank her for the bag and use it.
Not using it will NOT bring back the cow it came from.

Just rock it til the wheels fall off, no need to waste it or you could give it to someone else as a gift, just not her lol

The cow is already dead. I don't see a problem with using the bag.

For what it's worth, we raise cattle. They live in pastures with ponds and trees and grass. And then yes, some of them are eaten by people. You know what? A quick death at a slaughterhouse beats all of the ways animals die in the wild: chased, captured, and torn apart by predators, slow death from disease, or death from injury. I've seen them all.

You're not going to eat it, so use it. It was a gift.

The only moral thing to do is sew it back on to the cow. Be a good vegan an anaesthetize the cow first, mustn't hurt it. A local should do. Make sure to apologise to it for all the trouble.

I'd guess that your sister knew you were a vegetarian but assumed you weren't going to eat the bag. There is nothing about being vegetarian that would suggest a leather bag was an unsuitable gift.

If you are bothered about using a leather bag then that's a separate issue and, surely, it's up to YOU to decide what to do. You you REALLY care what I think? Do you REALLY care what other strangers think?

If you don't find it acceptable, give it back to your sister and explain that you can't accept it , put it away and don't use it, give it away, throw it out. I'm not sure what good any of these options would do though.

keep it. the cow who's leather it's made from is dead no matter what you do so you may as well appreciate the cow's sacrifice by using the bag and not letting the cow die in vain. a good leather bag can last a long long time.

Are you going to eat it? Being vegetarian has nothing to do with leather and leather products. If you don't believe in using leather and leather products that is about animal rights and cruelty. That has nothing to do with vegetarianism, which is a food choice. Clothing and accessories are not food. If you have made a cognitive decision that you do not believe in killing animals and don't use animal products, then you should make that clear. Remember, this includes leather shoes, leather purses, leather car seats, ....lipstick, most beauty items as most of them are tested on animals, ALL medications as they are all tested on animals... etc.

Treat your diet less like a religion.

So what's the problem? It's not like you are going to eat it? And it's already dead.

keep it or give it to a good home (someone who will appreciate it) dont throw it away or the cow will have died in vain!

In Veganism, people refrain from animal products like leather. Vegetarians only refrain from eating animals. Also, one can be vegetarian yet have vegan tendencies, like not wanting to wear fur or leather. You ask if its ok to use it, the answer lies within your conscience. If you wear the bag, you are promoting leather simply, so do keep that in mind. If I were you, I'd tell her that I appreciate the gift but I would not use it due to my own preferences. She could return it if she has the receipt, exchange it for something else, or give it away. But ultimately it all depends on YOU and what you are morally comfortable with.

It depends, do you want to carry dead animal skin around ? Haha. My brother has sent me gifts like a whale bone necklace, and a pair of mittens that I think were made of rabbit fur. They were so soft and looked nice, but I could not get over the fact that I was wearing a bunny corpse, representing something I am against. I gave them away. If you're going vegan, go vegan. Tell her why and make a stand. Life is too short to tip toe around and not let people know how you really feel. You don't have to be mean, just firm. That way, she'll never buy you something like that again. I wonder how many of the people that answered are vegetarian, and I seriously doubt any of them are vegan. Except maybe that one guy

just rock it til the wheels fall off, no need to waste it or you could give it to someone else as a gift, just not her lol

just rock it til the wheels fall off, no need to waste it or you could give it to someone else as a gift, just not her lol

just rock it til the wheels fall off, no need to waste it or you could give it to someone else as a gift, just not her lol

just rock it til the wheels fall off, no need to waste it or you could give it to someone else as a gift, just not her lol

Take my advice. DON'T EAT IT!

sell it

Keep it the cow is already dead so what's the sense in not keeping it.

give it to someone less fortunate who cant afford expensive hand bags

Either use it - or better yet, sell/give it to someone who is wanting a leather bag so that they don't have to go out and buy a new one, causing an animal's death.

I would tell her how you feel or sell it.

You could sell it. But then she might wonder where it went. You could be honest but be as nice as possible about it

Give it to the Goodwill and let them resell it to help the less fortunate, Sophie.

You didn't buy it so I see no harm in keeping it

I would politely tell her that you like the bag but because of your lifestyle choices and you not wanting to support animal cruelty and its practices you must decline the gift. I think she would understand if you say nothing you will look like a hypocrite don't eat meat but owning a leather purse is okay an animal was still killed to make it?. I'm surprised you said nothing to begin with like don't you know I'm vegetarian going vegan and you buy a leather bag. Seems to me like she don't care about your views or lifestyle choices.

Yes its fine, use it.