Christmas Crackers Guide from Dunelm Mill

View our Christmas Crackers Range

Christmas crackers are a fantastic invention. The ultimate addition to any Christmas dining table, these crackers provide a little element of surprise to your dinner and help to create a jovial atmosphere around the table.

1. The History of Stocking Fillers
2. Types of Christmas Crackers
3. Christmas Crackers Care Instructions
4. View our Range of Christmas Crackers

Christmas crackers are an old tradition that have been in existence for centuries. The inventor of the Christmas cracker is believed to be a man called Thomas J Smith who originally invented the product as a way of selling the 'bon bons' sweets from his confectionary shop. This is why Christmas crackers can sometimes be referred to as ‘bon bons'! However, crackers have been vastly developed since the days when Thomas wrapped his sweets in a twisted form of paper. They are now made of card and contain a small chemical strip that creates a popping sound when either end is pulled. Inside of the cracker you will often find a small toy and joke or interesting fact. These crackers help to create discussion and interaction around the dinner table as two people at a time need to pull the cracker and then each person will read out their joke or fact to the rest of the diners.

There are many different types of Christmas crackers on the market. The main way that these crackers are differentiated is through price. The Christmas crackers market is vast and prices can be seen to range from 99p to £35 for a box of 6.

The Cheaper End of the Scale
If all you’re after is a bit of amusement and fun for the kids then there’s often no need to splash out on expensive crackers. Cheaper crackers will still contain a toy and joke to keep the kids happy without it having to break the bank. Often the prizes are fun toys for the children such as a vibrant colourful frog or small spinning wheel. The jokes in these types of crackers are also more suited to the younger audience and often contain slightly more ‘cheesy’ but nevertheless amusing anecdotes.

Higher Priced
There are of course many families who take great joy in seeing which surprise gift they will receive from their meal time Christmas cracker. Often people think of the cracker as an extra unexpected Christmas gift to add to their existing pile of presents. There is often slightly more expensive gifts enclosed within these crackers such as a tape measure, photo frame or even a small pair of travel scissors. It is often said that the jokes or facts contained within the more expensive cracker range are slightly more high brow and are perhaps not as entertaining for the children in your dinner party.

Since Christmas crackers contain a very small amount of chemicals that allow the product to create a popping sound once pulled there are several care instructions that need to be taken into consideration during storage and use. This is why each individual pack of Christmas crackers are accompanied by their own product specific set of care instructions.

Information

• Christmas Crackers Buying Guide