Ricky Gervais has joined other celebrities like Joanna Lumley and singer Leona Lewis in backing a new campaign to encourage fans to celebrate an animal-friendly Holiday Season.

The celebrities are supporting Humane Society International/UK’s Cruelty-Free Christmas Pledge, which asks the public to eat a vegetarian festive dinner, stop buying pets as gifts, opting for cruelty-free cosmetics, refusing to buy fur as presents, and buying humane gifts which help neglected animals.

“Animal cruelty doesn’t really make the ideal Christmas gift,” says Ricky Gervais. “It seems so absurd to me that someone might think they’re treating a loved one to a bit of luxury by buying them real fur. Actually they’re buying them what’s left of an animal that’s been caged its whole life and then killed by gassing or electrocution. How luxurious is that? It’s the same with perfume – if you don’t check that it’s cruelty-free you could be buying a product that’s been dripped in a rabbit’s eyes until they’re weeping sores.It hardly says Happy Christmas to me. So the solution is simple, just think before you buy something – has an animal had to die a horrible death for this? If it has, choose something else.”

Humane Society International/UK promotes a policy of “eating with conscience” by embracing the “Three R’s” – reducing the consumption of animal-based foods, refining our diets by consuming animal products from suppliers who adhere to standards that reduce animal abuse, and replacing meat and animal products with plant-based foods.