There is a cute holiday tradition called “Christmas Crackers” that seems to be more popular in England than it is here. Basically, it is a bunch of trinkets inside a cardboard tube that is wrapped with cute paper.
Buying them can be quite pricey. For instance, six can easily cost $30.00. I made them with items I had around the house, but instead of trinkets, I used a bag of candy. If you want to make them for your Christmas table, the kids can get in on the act by helping out. I used empty paper towel holders that I cut down, wrapping paper, and ribbon. Then I bought a bag of miniature candy bars for the center.
I made them to use as place cards at our Christmas eve dinner.
The tradition is that two people pull the crackers apart, kind of like you do with a wishbone.
The person who gets the larger piece of paper when it snaps gets to keep the candy inside. The ones you can buy have a snapper in them that make the crack sound when they are pulled open.
They were given this name because of that cracking sound.
This tradition is most common in the countries under Great Britain’s rule, but the Russians welcome in the new year with crackers. You can use any color, but I chose to use Christmas red and green because those colors fit in with our decorations this year.
With just a little effort, you can introduce this tradition to your family. So, get crackin’!!!
Take care.
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Very festive! Happy Holidays 🙂 Seasons Greetings from Australia ~Pernilla
Oh what a cute idea!
Your idea is very nice and will be appreciated by your guests. Having been married to a Scotsman for 28 years, I have some experience with crackers. When you purchase a commercially produced cracker you get a paper hat, a small novelty item and a slip of paper with a joke; I’ve never seen candy in them. There is a snap that is supposed to pop when pulled but often it fails. The novelty item is a cheap thing which usually ended up in the rubbish bin. In the UK, it is possible to purchase kits that include the snapper and then you can customise what is put inside. I used to order crackers online but last year discovered that Home Goods sells them at a much better price.
We make our own and fill them with fun little trinkets, although the better commercially-produced ones contain worthwhile goodies – lots of fun! Up here we buy the essential strip that makes the ‘snap’ sound when pulled.
I love Christmas crackers. When I was a child in England we had them every Christmas! There were fun little trinkets and always a paper crown. But they were not as pretty as yours!!! So adorable!
We love Christmas Crackers at our house! Yours are so cute!
Happy Holidays from my home to yours! This is lovely. I am visiting you via Wow Us Wednesdays and I look forward to seeing you at My Dream Canvas!
What a great idea! I used to love all the different kinds of Christmas crackers when I used to live in England, and still buy them here in the States every year! What a great idea to make some! Merry Christmas!