Eco friendly Christmas crackers

Nonnadiluca

I always buy the Christmas crackers for our family Xmas dinner but really don't want to this year: at least a fiver for plastic tat and a tissue paper crown that rips within seconds and the whole lot in the bin at the end! I broached the subject with DD, who hosts, and while on the same page eco wise, she said why don't we, (meaning me!) look at environmentally friendly alternatives. Buying them is really expensive so I am looking for ideas - has anyone made their own and can pass on any tips? Thanks

PasturesNew

What do you get from them?

Do you need them at all, or are they just a pricey way to get a paper hat to wear? Could just make the paper hats and plonk them on plates.

Do you need to have them cluttering up the table at all? Is the 'pulling' an awkward nuisance really? Do people really read the jokes? Do they keep/use the gifts?

What are your crackers for?

Nonnadiluca

My point exactly! However, DD and GSs would like to have something so we had a chat and I am looking into maybe a box, or paper or fabric parcel, with jokes, home made hats and chocolates. I thought I would put everyone's names on them so they will double up as place settings.
Thanks for your input, it made us focus on what we want and we've got a good idea of what to do now: I feel a new family Xmas tradition in the air!

spadoosh

Kitchen roll tube and crepe paper/wrapping paper.

You can buy the 'snap' parts individually.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/10-Standard-Cracker-Snaps-Christmas/dp/B07K1PP35F/ref=asc_df_B07K1PP35F/?!!!!!googshopuk-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=366487933109&hvpos=1o1&hvnetw=g&hvrand=2896748616595733810&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9046527&hvtargid=pla-834417708681&psc=1

other places might be cheaper. Just make sure theyre attached to the handles (that youve made) and not the toilet roll tube otherwise they might not snap.

CapricornLass

We abandoned crackers altogether years ago. Instead we have small presents, which are distributed at Boxing Day tea (Boxing Day is our main family get together). Each present has to cost less than £2. I must admit I keep my eyes peeled all year round for suitable little presents.

My OH can supply all the (clean) bad jokes you could ever want, and I've always found that the first thing those paper hats did was to either fall off, or slide down over my ears!

REJP

No crackers for us since a couple of friends pulled too violently and smashed two expensive glasses putting glass in the food on the table.
And I never have seen the point in paper hats which slip off or down heads.
To me, they are a waste of money and paper.

in_my_wellies

We make our own crackers and have done for about 25 years. We use shiny paper from a magazine or junk mail, interesting 'finds', useful or not, spotted throughout the year and anything which will balance on a head for a hat.
When very small the children wrote their own silly jokes and shouted 'bang' as loudly as they could instead of the snap
Now they are all grown up and still do the same!

Teacher2

I made crackers this year after my DD announced she was doing a green Christmas with less outlay and waste.

I made paper hats from magazines and filled the crackers with small chocolates rather than plastic tat. I made up the jokes (Christmas themes, puns on nearby places and lightbulb jokes tailored to the jobs we all do), wrote them and and printed them off and I used old wrapping paper and shiny string. The cracker snaps I bought especially as they are really the point of the exercise. However, they are as cheap as chips.

It took forever and I don’t think I would bother again, though I will go by the reaction this year. They look quite nice and are delightfully random as the paper is from odds and sods.

HelenJL

Making can be fun! You can personalise with labels. You can easily and cheaply i.e. from 10p! buy hats, jokes etc. if you don't want to make or write your own. If you would rather avoid amazon, have a look in a craft shop or an eco-type shop e.g. Coconut & Cotton. Sometimes buying snappers online is more difficult because of posting them and restrictions. A toilet roll is a good size and shape and you can use any paper. You can add a small, non-plastic present like a mini soap, lip balm in a tin or such like. Or create a small photo or a personalised voucher for each person - like they can redeem for a cup of tea being made for them, dinner being made for them, go on a walk together instead of material presents. There are also videos to give you a quick tutorial!

busylizzie_2

I wanted to dispense with crackers this year too so I have bought some small festive tins on Amazon filled with chocolates to put on the table with the thought that we could always add in a few jokes and we can reuse them in future. You can get them personalised with a name and greeting or buy a ready made set - think the seller was Gift in Can.

Lily978

I have made my own crackers this year. I did buy the snaps. I used toilet roll tubes, but you could use any other type if you don't like the idea of using toilet roll tubes. I covered them with some layers of tissue paper that came as packaging and used some ribbon (reusable) to decorate them. You can fill them with whatever you like eg Christmas jokes, silly facts, sweets, homemade paper hat. I tied the ends with some raffia ribbon that I had in the house.