Best Christmas Crackers?

smallblueplanet

I like crackers!

But I always feel slightly let down if they've cost a lot of dosh and they've got real cheapo bits inside, or totally naff 'trinkets'.

Has anyone found any good value ones, or any particularly 'innovative' ones - say Christmas crackers for gardeners or suchlike?

zulubabe

Why not make your own - there are kits available to make your own then just fill them with what you want to - that way you know that its something the person would really like. I make them for my family in South Africa every year & usually just look for little things that I can put in them managed to get some nice girlie things when Accessorise was having its sale earlier this year.

rebl43

I will be interested in this thread too, as I also love crackers and am always on the lookout for ones with gifts inside that are worth keeping or that you can do something with.
As our youngest family member is 4 and the oldest 94, I usually face a bit of a challenge!
[I cannot be bothered with making my own]

smallblueplanet

Thanks for the reply zulubabe, and if it was not for just me & the OH I might give it a go.

I like the surprise of the cracker, and the hat and the motto - but not naffly made 'gifts', so I was looking to buy a small box of maybe themed crackers? Has no-one seen any 'different' ones?

piglet6

We get around this by having cheaper crackers (not the very cheapest available, but just expensive enough so that they look nice on the table, go bang and have a hat/joke in them!:p). Then, we tend to have little "table presents" wrapped on the table, and these we choose, usually according to a theme, but tailored slightly to each person.

We did try the fill your own crackers thing a few years back, but we found the make-your-own sets quite expensive, plus it was quite tricky to find things that we wanted to put inside that were both within budget and would fit in the cracker.:rolleyes: Then, of course, there was the "problem" that the person the present was chosen for didn't "win" the cracker pulling, so we ended up having to all swap round again anyway!! :rotfl:

These days, it doesn't matter who wins the cracker pulling in our house because the table presents stay at the place setting where we put them! We do this on Christmas Day and Boxing Day, and it works for us. To give you an idea, we don't necessarily spend lots on table pressies and they don't have to be expensive (we don't always wrap them, either) - one year we just had everybody's favourite miniature bottle of alcohol, and another year, each person's favourite chocolate bar "of choice"! Simple, but everybody is happy!!! :beer:

Piglet

Maysie

I use the make you own crackers there are certainly some naff, overpriced ones about but i had some really nice luxury ones form tesco last year they were £3.17 for 6. They came in red and gold metallic card with swirly elegant patterns on them. They came with star gift tags, gold paper crowns and jokes. I put in perfume and aftershave samples and windup toys for the kids. Used the tags so everyone got what they wanted . Very simple. took a minute to make up each.

I fancy making my own sweets to go in them this year.

Year before that i had bought to many so i sold them in pairs on Ebay with a personalised giftag for £8.99 a pair (they had proper miniture perfumes and aftershaves in them). Sold 3 pairs so paid for my own that year.

greenpixey

zulubabe wrote:

Why not make your own - there are kits available to make your own then just fill them with what you want to - that way you know that its something the person would really like. I make them for my family in South Africa every year & usually just look for little things that I can put in them managed to get some nice girlie things when Accessorise was having its sale earlier this year.

I've had a look out for kits to make my own, but no luck. Can anyone here point me in the right direction

Chocmonster7

We buy the crackers we like (usually only a couple of pounds for a box, no point in spending more) then open one end, put a new prezzie in tailored to the person then tie the end up with ribbon again. The hunt to find something that will fit is part of the pre-Christmas ritual and each of us buys for another person. We are very good about giving the present back to the rightful person if they don't win the pull.

vandanfc

greenpixey wrote:

I've had a look out for kits to make my own, but no luck. Can anyone here point me in the right direction

Have a look here:

http://www.craftwiseuk.com/acatalog/crackers.html


http://www.grattan.co.uk/Web/main/productdisplay.asp?An=673&A=75B225%5F&N=645+4294967178&Au=P%5FMasterItem&Nu=P%5FMasterItem&Ns=P%5FColour%7C0%7C%7CP%5FSize%7C0

also kits are available in Hobbycraft stores

slonik

I saw some in a music shop that had little whistles in each cracker instead of a gift. Each whistle makes a different note and the idea is that you all get them out an have a little musical interlude! Seems like a great idea to me, especially for fill-your-own crackers (these ones in the shop were very expensive).

gingin_2

We like the crackers where everyone gets a wind up toy and then the box turns into a race track for you to race them on. It makes a bit of fun after dinner and I usually find a little prize for the winner. My dd still plays with the wind up toys from last year. I bought them from Tesco's but I know lots of other places stock them. You still get the hat and joke as well .