Vet Tech’s Guide to Surviving the Holidays

November 3, 2022

We can’t believe we’re saying this but… it’s already the holiday season! 🩺💜

2022 has flown by for all of us at Love Huvet, and we bet you’re feeling the same if you are a vet tech or someone who works in vet med. It hasn’t been the easiest year for vet techs or veterinary professionals — between staffing shortages, fighting for a live-able wage, and the on-going mental health crisis among our community — and the holidays present their own unique set of additional challenges on top of our profession.

We wish we could just snap our fingers and make the biggest issues in our industry disappear, but since that’s not possible we’ve put together this “Vet Tech’s Guide to Surviving the Holidays” to help you avoid some stress and have a more enjoyable holiday season.

1. Wear The “No Questions About Your Pet” Shirt

You might be the go-to Vet Tech / Veterinary Professional in your friend group or extended family but that doesn't mean you want to spend your holidays "on the clock" giving advice and answering questions.

And this shirt is designed to prevent those questions before they ever happen. Wear it to family functions, when you’re out doing holiday shopping, and maybe even take a picture wearing it and make that your profile picture on all social media platforms until the holidays are over to protect your sanity from unwanted questions when you’re off the clock.

We're currently sold out of this design but we're bringing it back for the holiday season in a new color -- stay tuned for information on our holiday launch happening at the end of November!

Disclaimer: while the message on the shirt should make it clear that you are requesting no pet related questions, we can’t guarantee that everyone will read the shirt and follow instructions 🤣 sorry vet techs

Honorable Mentions — Vet Tech Essentials

The “No Questions About Your Pet” is not the only design from Love Huvet that can help you save your sanity through the chaos of the holidays. If you’re a vet tech, veterinary assistant, or veterinary receptionist, you may also want to check out our “Be Nice to Vet Staff” and “Be the Change You Wish to See in Vet Med” designs as helpful reminders for around the work place.

Some additional vet tech essentials from our shop include the “In it for the Outcome” and “Deserve the Income” designs below (available as stickers or badge reels). Because as a vet tech how many times have you had to explain that you're in it for the OUTCOME, not the income... but that you deserve the income, too? Probably too many!

2. Write in your Vet Med Wellness Journal daily

Veterinary medicine is not the easiest industry to work in. Between over-scheduling, understaffing, unruly clients, and the added challenges of the holiday season, it’s important to take care of yourself during this season — and that includes your mental health.

One of our favorite ways to decompress after a long day at the clinic is to reflect (and vent) in our Vet Med Wellness journal. This journal was created by a vet tech with YOU in mind and it's the perfect place to write about the good and the bad so you can just let it all go before you enjoy holiday time with your friends and family.

And we’re happy to announce that journals will be back in stock on 11/11! Grab yours (if you haven’t already) and maybe one for your bestie in vet med, too — it’s the perfect gift for vet techs!

Additional support in our Facebook group

Did you know that we have a private Facebook group for anyone that has purchased the Vet Med Wellness journal? You’ll find information about how to access the Facebook group in the front inside cover of your journal. If you’re a vet tech or veterinary professional looking for advice and support around things you're dealing with at work, this group is a great place to submit anonymously and receive help from others in veterinary medicine.

3. Stay hydrated

As a Vet Tech, you're already busy! And you're going to be especially busy during this season so it’s more important than ever that you have a reliable water bottle for when you’re on-the-go. Plain reusable water bottles are so boring and you deserve a boost of morale as you’re doing your holiday shopping. You deserve something that screams "I'm a Vet Tech" or "I work in Vet Med".

If you’re the DIY type, we recommend grabbing 6-7 of your favorite Love Huvet stickers to decorate your favorite water bottle with (don’t worry — our stickers are water-resistant, weatherproof, and dishwasher safe). But if you want something already personalized for vet techs or anyone working in vet med, check out our Vet Med Tumblers below.

4. Learn about Negotiation in the Workspace at our Upcoming Wellness Workshop

One of the most difficult parts of our industry is the lack of advocacy for fair wages, adequate staffing, and more among vet techs, veterinary assistants, and other professionals in vet med. We will have Molly from @negotiatethis back for November's wellness workshop on Nov 20th talking about what you can do when negotiations in the work place do not go the way you’re expecting. This workshop will be on Nov 20 at 8:00 PM EST (7:00 PM CST / 5:00 PM PST) and hosted on TikTok and Instagram Live at @love.huvet. You can learn more about our monthly wellness workshops and sign up to get emails about upcoming workshops here.

5. Decorate Your Workspace

Nothing says holiday cheer quite like decorating the office! But you don’t have to go all out to put smiles on the faces of your vet techs, staff, or yourself. Grab a mix of holiday stickers and sassy / silly stickers like the ones below, and then stick them all over your clinic to spread that extra joy. Need some examples of where you can put your stickers? Check out this awesome TikTok from @dogtorjulie!

DIY Advent Calendar for Vet Techs

If you’re looking for something creative and fun to do for your vet techs, veterinary staff, or even your co-workers this year, you can easily create a DIY advent calendar with Love Huvet stickers!

Advent calendars are a staple of the holiday season — I mean what could be better than a countdown that includes a daily treat — and you can quickly create a fun-for-everyone advent calendar that your vet techs and staff will love using only envelopes and Love Huvet stickers.

First, decide how long you want your countdown to go (5 days, 10 days, 12 days, 25 days), then get the same amount of envelopes and label them 1 through however long your countdown will go (bonus points if you decorate the envelopes to make them more festive), and next purchase stickers to include in each of the envelopes. On the first day of the countdown, open the corresponding envelope with your vet techs / veterinary staff — and depending on how many stickers you’ve included you can either distribute them amongst staff OR find fun places to stick them throughout the clinic to put a smile on everyone’s face.

PS: if you do this, we'd love to see your DIY advent calendar in action.

6. Gift Cards Perfect for Vet Techs

Not into holiday shopping? Gift cards. Looking for vet tech gifts for your vet tech bestie? Gift card. Want to guarantee you knock it out of the park with gifts for your vet staff? Gift cards. But not just any gift cards — Love Huvet gift cards.

Plus, you can make it super easy for anyone buying you a gift this holiday season AND guarantee that you’re getting exactly what you’ve been eyeing from our shop by requesting a Love Huvet gift card anytime someone asks you “what’s on your wish list this year?”. Gift cards are available in denominations starting as low as $5 and up to $100 — delivered digitally to your email — so it makes the perfect last minute gift, too.