How to Make Christmas Crackers

Guide Note Making Christmas crackers is a great way to prepare favors for that special Christmas party or event. Christmas crackers are a popular party favor in Great Britain and Australia. They are not difficult to create and can easily be done in an afternoon. If you want to try it for this Christmas, then this page will walk you through the process involved.

Table of Contents

Introduction
Step 1: Construct the Tubes
Step 2: Add the Cracker Snap
Step 3: Wrap the Tube
Step 4: Twist and Tie One End
Step 5: Fill Your Tube
Step 6: Finishing Your Tube
Conclusion
References

Christmas Cracker Tips

Christmas crackers are popular party favors.
Toilet paper rolls are often used for the tubes.
Use wrapping paper that is easy to tear.
Fill your cracker with a paper hat, a joke and a small gift.
The gift can be novelty or elegant.

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Introduction

If you think that Christmas crackers are something that you can put cheese on, then you're obviously not from Great Britain or Australia and have never seen the Harry Potter movies. A Christmas cracker is a party favor, which consists of a wrapped tube filled with a paper crown or party hat, a joke or riddle and a small gift.¹ The cracker is then pulled open to expose its contents. Not only do crackers make great gifts, they can also be used as ornaments, stocking stuffers and invitations.

Step 1: Construct or Collect the Tubes

A major component of Christmas crackers is the tube. Here are some possibilities of what you can use:

(Creative Commons photo by Mer Fuller)
1. Use an empty toilet tissue roll.²
2. Purchase cardboard tubes or specially made cracker tubes.³ ⁴
3. Use an empty Pringles can.⁵

You can also make your own tubes using construction paper or thin cardboard.⁶ ⁷ Simply roll the paper or cardboard into a tube and glue or tape it closed. You will want to create three rolls of the same diameter. You can then use two of the tubes (known as cracker rollers) to keep the ends of the paper from caving in.³ These tubes are removed once the cracker is made and can be used again.⁴

Step 2: Add the Cracker Snap (Optional)

Cracker snaps, also known as snappers or cracker bangers, are devices that are placed inside the cracker to ensure that a loud pop is made when the cracker is pulled open. These are not required, but are a nice addition if you can find them.

In the United States, cracker snaps are not easily found. This means you will probably need to order them online. While you may find several stores located in Australia and the United Kingdom that do sell them, not all are capable of shipping them to the U.S. (due to shipping restrictions). However, a few stores that are either located in the U.S. or can sell to the U.S. that sell cracker snaps include:
1. Olde English Crackers: Cracker Snaps
2. Christmas Cracker Shop.com: Cracker Snaps
3. Christmas Crackers USA: Christmas Cracker Components
4. Absolutely Crackers: Cracker Snaps

Some sites suggest using booby traps, also known as pull tricks or pulling fireworks. These are different than cracker snaps and should be used with caution. They have been known to cause sparks and ignite contents, which means steps will have to be taken to protect people's hands and the contents inside the cracker.⁸

Make sure that your snap is long enough to extend past the tube on both ends of the tube. If you need to attach the snap into the tube, attach it where the friction strip is, otherwise it won't snap when you pull it later.⁶ Cracker snaps can be placed either inside the tube or outside between the tube and the paper.² ³ It is up to you.

Step 3: Wrap the Tube

Once you select your tube material and cracker snap, you will need to wrap it. Use a wrapping paper that is easily torn, such as crepe paper, tissue paper or mid-weight wrapping paper.⁴ ⁹ ¹⁰

(Creative Commons photo by Aaron Gustafson)
Cut the paper so it is two to three times longer than your cardboard roll.¹¹ This usually means that the paper is 8-10 inches wide and 10-12 inches long.
Set the cardboard roll so it is centered lengthwise on the paper.
If you are using cracker rollers, place one on each end.⁴
Place a small drop of glue or a piece of double-sided tape at the middle of the bottom edge and attach one end of the paper to the tube.³
If you are using cracker snaps, you can opt to set them along the outside of the tube under the paper.³ They can also be inserted after the tube is wrapped.²
Wrap the paper around the tube.
Secure the paper using double-sided tape, glue stick or glue.¹⁰ ¹¹ ³

Step 4: Twist and Tie One End

Before you fill your cracker, you will want to twist and/or tie one end of the cracker. To do this step, you will need a piece of string or narrow ribbon such as curling ribbon.⁹ ¹⁰ ³

If you used cracker rollers, pull one roller out about an inch so you have a gap between the cracker roller and the tube. Then, gently twist and tie with ribbon.⁴
If you did not use cracker rollers, simply tie a piece of ribbon around one end of the tube.¹¹
You can add a piece of 60-70 weight white card stock into the ends to make then stiffer before or after rolling the ends.³

Step 5: Fill Your Tube

Fill your tube with treats. You will want to use small gifts and candy. You should also consider adding a fortune, motto or joke written on a small piece of paper.⁹ You can also add confetti to make more of a splash when the cracker is opened.¹¹

(Creative Commons photo by Jez Nicholson)
Traditionally, Christmas crackers are filled with a small gift, a bright paper hat or crown, a balloon, and a motto or joke.¹² While it is not uncommon for the gifts and the jokes to be bad, do not feel you have to stick with this tradition. Below are some ideas for different items you can include in your Christmas crackers, but you may also want to check out Mahalo's How to Choose Stocking Stuffers as well.

Jokes and Mottos

Jokes and mottos are a traditional inclusion. Luckily, Mahalo has an entire page devoted to Christmas jokes. If, however, you need a few more suggestions, check out the following pages:
1. BBC: Christmas Cracker Jokes
2. BBC News: Top 10 Christmas Cracker Jokes
3. The Observer: Alice Fisher Reveals Why Bad Jokes Make for a Merry Christmas
4. Telegraph.co.uk: Top Ten Worst Christmas Cracker Jokes Ever
5. Buzzle.com: Funny Phrases and Slogans
6. Spearheads: Just Read and Enjoy (December 19, 2007)
7. Sacred Cow Crossing: One Nice Thing About Egotists... and Other Ponderings (July 22, 2007)

Novelty Gifts

Novelty gifts can include things such as stickers, temporary tattoos, bumper stickers and magnets. You can also include joke gifts such as fake lottery tickets, fake money or prank candy.

Some sources for novelty gifts include:
1. Uncommon Goods: Homepage
2. Oriental Trading Company: Homepage
3. US TOY Company: Carnival/Novelty Division
4. PrankPlace.com Homepage
5. Sticker Shoppe: Homepage

Elegant Gifts

If you want more elegant gifts for your crackers, then you have a lot of options. Here are a few suggestions.

Try a lease from Rent Mother Nature.¹³ These leases allow you to lease everything from fruit trees, cows and goats, oyster beds and lobster traps.¹⁴
Adopt one of 90 different animals from World Wildlife Fund. They have everything from polar bears to duck-billed platypuses.¹⁵
Check out stores that sell party or wedding favors.
Individually wrapped chocolates available from Godiva are almost always a hit. Examples include: Pecan Pie Truffles, Raspberry Cordials, Candy Cane Truffles¹⁶
Swiss army knives are known for being small enough to fit in your pocket (and in Christmas Crackers).
Gift cards are a great surprise, but probably will not fit inside a toilet paper roll. You can get around this problem by ditching the toilet paper roll and making your own tube to fit the gift.⁶ You can also purchase a gift certificate online that is emailed to you.
Small Christmas ornaments can be fun to use.
Use a symbolic gift for a larger item such as a car key for a new car or a chew toy for a new puppy.
Small packets of gourmet cocoa or coffee make good gifts.
Miniature bottles of alcohol, moisturizer or bubble bath can be used providing the bottles are plastic (glass might break when the cracker is opened).⁵
Donate money to the person's favorite charity.

Step 6: Finishing Your Tube

Now that your tube is filled, you are almost finished.

Tie the remaining end of your cracker the same way you did in Step 4
If desired, you can decorate the outside of your tube using various decorative trimmings. Some examples of things you can use include: stickers, transfers, glitter, markers, sequins, paper cut-outs, lace and crepe paper.⁴ ¹¹ ⁹ ²

Conclusion

Now that you have your Christmas crackers, you will need to know how to open them. They are not unwrapped like gifts, they are pulled. To open, grasp each end firmly and then slowly pull in opposite directions.¹