The day after Thanksgiving is Black Friday, when the holiday gift-shopping season really gets underway. But for animal rights advocates nationwide, it's Fur-Free Friday, also an occasion to hit the stores—to urge consumers not to buy into the cruelty of the skins trade.

Yes, "skins." Even on Fur-Free Friday, it's important to remember that fur isn't the only material used for clothing that results from the suffering of animals. Like fur, leather, for instance, comes from animals who are raised on crowded farms and killed using cruel methods—some are even skinned while they're still alive. Whether it comes from a snake or a sable, a cow or a chinchilla, it's all skin—and we, not they, can live without it.

PETA hopes that everyone heading out to (or returning from) a Fur-Free Friday demonstration will be able to answer the question, "Whose skin am I in?" with the reply, "Only my own!"

The biggest shopping day of the year is also the biggest fur-free day of the year—from Anchorage, Alaska to our headquarters in Norfolk, Virginia, the young, the old, and even, well, dummies were out in force to urge shoppers to cross fur off their holiday lists.

Even a little bit of fur trim means a lifetime of suffering for minks, foxes, rabbits, and other animals on fur farms, who are crammed into filthy wire cages and are often genitally electrocuted to avoid damaging their pelts. Even dog and cat fur has been found in clothing exported from China to the U.S.

Be sure not to miss opportunities to educate shoppers in your area about the coldhearted fur industry: Sign up to receive important updates from PETA's Action Team about additional fur-free outreach events in order to make this a happy holiday season for one and all.

Last Friday, activists around the world came out in droves to speak out for animals who are killed for their skins. In our home base of Norfolk, Virginia, more than 40 PETA staffers and supporters—including three gorgeous painted ladies—took a stand outside a local mall.

Dozens of Washington, D.C., activists held four protests in six hours, and everything went off without a hitch!

Passersby in Ottawa gasped in horror upon seeing the "after" shots of skinned animals.

The walking dead took to the streets in Germany.

Our friends AnimaNaturalis dripped with fake blood in Mexico City.

And from International Anti-Fur Coalition, a record-breaking 500 activists mobilized in Israel.

Keep on speaking up for animals who live and die in misery for the fur trade. Share the pledge to be fur-free with everyone you know!

Written by Jennifer O'Connor

mikebaird/CC by 2.0

Don't eat so much Tofurky that you sleep through Fur-Free Friday! This special day for animals falls on the busiest shopping day of the year, so it's the perfect opportunity to remind people that the fur in stores comes from living, breathing animals who were cruelly confined and killed. Every year, compassionate people around the world join together on the day after Thanksgiving to educate holiday shoppers about why fur belongs on animals, not our shopping lists.

Most fur comes from China, where there are no penalties for abusing animals on fur farms and animals are raised in unbearably cramped and squalid cages. When it's time to slaughter the animals, workers yank them out of their cages, slam them to the ground, bludgeon them, and then rip the skin from their bodies—often while they're still alive. The workers then kill the animals with the cheapest and cruelest killing methods available, including suffocation, electrocution, gas, and poison.

So what are you waiting for? There is probably a Fur-Free Friday event happening near you—check PETA's website, Facebook, or Meetup.com to find an event in your area.

How do you plan to get active for animals this Fur-Free Friday?

Written by Lindsay Pollard-Post

Here's a tip as we head toward Fur-Free Friday: If you really want folks to understand how gruesomely cruel the fur trade is, sometimes you just gotta confront them with a "bloody carcass" or two three.

Now, before you send us an angry e-mail, please note the quotation marks above—the carcasses (and the blood) were fake, but their intent was all too real: persuading shareholders attending the annual meeting of fashion retailer Coach to back PETA's resolution calling on the company to stop selling fur. Since we knew we might only have a few seconds to get our message across, we presented the grisly props as an instant reminder that many animals killed for their fur are electrocuted with rods that are forced into their orifices, have their legs or necks crushed in cruel traps, or simply have the skin cut and ripped from their bodies while they are still conscious.

Ready to get in the fight against fur? Great—let's get started!

Written by Jeff Mackey

Update: Our vegan Ultra champion did it again. Rich Roll finished seventh in the race on Sunday. Despite a bad accident on his bike on Saturday during challenging weather conditions and even with an injured knee, he did the 52-mile run in 7:51. Amazing. Congrats, Rich!

It's Fur-Free Friday, and we're all about spreading joy and good cheer on one of the most compassionate days of the year. In the spirit of the season, we'd like to wish vegan athlete Rich Roll the best of luck as he begins his Ultraman race.

Recently named one of the "25 Fittest Guys in the World" by Men's Fitness, Roll is poised to dominate the competition at the invitation-only Ultraman competition, which includes a 6.2-mile swim, 261.4-mile cross-country bike ride, and 52.4-mile run.

His cruelty-free diet guarantees abounding strength and energy, and if you don't want to take my word for it, check out our exclusive new interview with the humane superman:

Written by Logan Scherer

Thanksgiving is over and everyone is getting in the wintery, "Christmassy" spirit … but hey, don't forget about my favorite holiday of the year! Fur-Free Friday! While most people are hittin' the shops at 4 a.m. to dig through bargain bins and trample their neighbors to grab those $5 iPods, animal activists are going out of their way to remind holiday sale shoppers not to include fur on their shopping lists this year (or any year, for that matter).

We're working hard today to tell mallgoers that cruel, furry designers like Donna Karan are so out and that awesome, fur-free designers like Stella McCartney are so in.

Since I'm feeling extra faux happy today, I'd like to share with you some pictures of anti-fur street demonstrations from around the globe to get you in the Fur-Free Friday spirit. Enjoy and have a wonderful, safe, and cruelty-free holiday:

Written by Christine Doré