I love the thought of a jolly English Christmas…you know a real ‘Happy Christmas’ =) full of traditions ancient & new. Carols of old being raised to the heavens, green countryside turned white with a fresh blanket of snow, Charles Dickens’ stomping ground, & figgy pudding! One of the English traditions of the season is the Christmas cracker. Click here to see a video of a British mum (& her son & daughter) explaining Christmas crackers! The first Christmas cracker originated in the 1840s – the creation of a London baker named Tom Smith.
Traditional Cracker Contents…
-a paper crown (you can create one by cutting a crown (zig-zag design) on tissue paper & taping it to fit your head - fold to put into cracker)
-a small toy/trinket
-a joke
What You’ll Need to Make Your Own Christmas Cracker…
(NOTE: This makes one cracker. Don't forget to fill your cracker first!)
-a paper towel tube
-scissors
-tape/glue stick
-tissue paper
-wrapping paper
-string or ribbon
A peek at an English Christmas...
Cheers (& Love),
-Bess-
P.S.: Here's a rare glimpse into a London factory's Christmas cracker creation process from way back when (1910!)...
I'm soooo lazy; our family usually just buys Christmas crackers from the local supermarket! lol but maybe this year I'll give this a try.
ReplyDeleteHave you seen 'Kirstie's Handmade Christmas'? In one episode, she visits a professional cracker maker and learns how to make these really elaborate creations - it might be on YouTube.
God bless, and thank you for posting this! :)
I loved watching those old BBC comedies where they pulled their Christmas Crackers! I am deff going to do this for the christmas party at work and maybe for church too! I think its just too cute!:-) Thanks for posting!!
ReplyDeleteHow adorable :)
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