It’s hard to imagine the end of Christmas lunch without pulling a cracker. Indeed, from the corny jokes inside to the paper hats, they are undoubtedly part of our UK Christmas tradition, and one we can thank the Victorians for that. Â
Whether you buy them at the shop or make them at home, they are a fun addition to the Christmas table.
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Christmas Cracker History
It was back in the early 1830s that a young boy called Tom Smith started work in a bakery and ornamental confectioners shop in London, selling sweets such as fondants, pralines and gum pastilles. While learning the trade, he took a great interest in wedding cake ornaments and decorations and began developing new designs in his spare time.
His dedication and ingenuity led him to start his own business in Goswell Road, Clerkenwell, East London. Tom was constantly looking to feed his imagination and travelled abroad to search for new ideas and it was during one such trip to Paris in 1840 that he first discovered the ‘bon bon’, a sugared almond wrapped in a twist of tissue paper. It was a simple idea that, over the next seven years, would evolve into the beloved Cracker.Â
Tom brought the ‘bon bon’ to London and during Christmas that year they were a popular novelty. Once Christmas passed, however, so did the demand. Ever the entrepreneur, Tom was keen to extend and develop the ‘bon bon’ idea further and stimulate sales beyond the Christmas period; so he decided to place a small love motto in the tissue paper and he soon realised when these became popular that his ‘bon bons’ were a winning idea.
With ‘bon bons’ still being mainly sold at Christmas, Tom began to think up ways to make them more appealing and his flash of inspiration came when he heard the crackle of a log as he threw it on his fire; this noise was the insight that would put the crack in a cracker. Getting the right sort of crackle required a bit of experimentation, after all, he needed a compound that gave a satisfactory bang but not an explosion.
The shape and size of the ‘bon bon’ had to increase to accommodate the ‘cracking mechanism’ but the shape remained the same and the motto was still included. The chemical explosion was perfected to create a ‘pop’ caused by friction when the wrapping was broken which eventually became the snap and the cracker we know and love was born. Â
But Crackers were more than just frivolous novelties. They even did their bit for the war effort. The Ministry of Defence commissioned Tom Smith to fold and tie bundles of three to six snaps together with special string and regulation knots. These bundles were then used by soldiers in training as when the string was pulled, they mimicked the noise of machine gun fire.Â
Professional Cracker-making Tips from Jane Godfrey
Eager to create my own crackers, I caught up with Cracker enthusiast Jane Godfrey to see if she could put me on the road to cracker-making success. Â
Once a nurse, Jane explained how she was “pulled” into the wonderful world of crackers when she purchased the business in February this year. With the help of her sister Tanya, they make luxury, bespoke crackers. And just like Tom Smith, they are inventive. As well as making Christmas crackers, Jane and her sister also make them for hen-dos and weddings.
It was their DIY kits, that caught my eye and I must say that having given these a try they are an enjoyable way of making professional-looking crackers in a jiffy. The kit comes with everything you need and once you have the knack of it its child’s play.
If you are using Curling ribbon as your ties, use a stiff piece of cardboard, about cereal box size, wrap the ribbon around the width, then cut both sides- this eliminates the tricky curling while you try to cut the pieces, and ensures they are the same size.
Use “loom bands” to keep your hat, joke and gift together when putting them into crackers, it makes them all stay together and easier to slide into your barrel. The loom bands are just the right size, unlike other elastic bands which may have to be wound a few times.
Bad Christmas Jokes
No Christmas cracker would be complete without the bad jokes, so here are a few for you to use. You’re welcome!
What do you call a frozen elf hanging from the ceiling? An elfcicle!
What do reindeer hang on their Christmas trees? Horn-aments!
Why are Christmas trees so bad at sewing? They always drop their needles!
What do you get when you cross a snowman with a vampire? Frostbite!
The wonderful thing about homemade versions is that you can include whatever gifts you want and make them as personal as you choose.
The important thing is to have fun and a cracking Christmas!
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Make Your Own Crackers
What you need
- A4-size wrapping paperÂ
- Â Glue or Sellotape
- A kitchen roll barrel
- Thin ribbon
- A cracker snap
- Decorations
- Small luggage tag
- Gift or toy
Method:
- Divide the A4-size paper into three by scoring it lightly. Cut up the kitchen-roll barrel into three parts, ensuring that one piece is slightly larger than the others. This will form the central part of the cracker
- Next tape the snap into place by sticking the ends to the paper. Place the three parts of the barrel in the centre of each section of the paper next to the snap.
- Using a tight grip and rolling away from yourself, roll the paper onto the barrel, tucking in the edges neatly. Then glue or tape the seam of the cracker.
4. Using a piece of thin ribbon, tie around the paper at the ends of the central section in the paper to create a neck at either end of the cracker - Add gifts, handwritten messages or jokes to the cracker by dropping them carefully into one end. Personalise your crackers by adding decorations such as bows and ribbons and name tags.Â
Happy Christmas!
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Author bio: Seren Charrington-Hollins
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