dec 9th - christmas crackers! (w/tutorial)

every christmas eve morning i have a brunch for my in-laws. my first year hosting i wanted to make it special so i googled christmas customs and stumbled upon 2 that i thought were pretty neat. one is finding the christmas pickle. the other is christmas crackers. my mil is from england and when i pulled them out for the first time she was thrilled! she fondly remembered them as a child. she said everyone would stand in a circle and each person would hold the end of a cracker. then one by one each cracker would be "snapped" open and inside would be goodies. i hand made them that first year and have continued to do so every year since.

this year i am making 2 sets of them. one for my family and one for carrie's stocking stuffer swap (i can't find a link for her blog!) they are really easy to make. once you make them you'll want to do it every year.

first gather your materials. you can order them online if you want. that is what i did b/c i really wanted the snaps and the paper hats - but otherwise you can make really simple ones with household items.

you'll need:
cardboard tubes (or toilet paper rolls)
lightweight wrapping paper or tissue paper (i use 2 layers of tissue paper for each cracker)
ribbon
glue or double sided tape
snaps (if you are using them)
trinkets for inside


cut your paper to size....12 inches by 7.5 inches. b/c i used 2 layers of tissue paper i cut the plain paper that size and the patterned paper (which will be the paper you see on the outside) 11 inches by 7.5. you don't have to do this though if you don't want. also - there really is no need to be so precise. i've been in rush mode many a time and just cut freehand!

after you cut the tissue paper use glue (or double sided tape) to attach the roll to one of the long edges. lay a snap (if using) next to it. roll the tube across the paper and glue it down on the other edge.

it should look like this

crimp one end and tie a ribbon right up against the edge of the tube

this is the other end. you can see the snap. fill the open end with trinkets.

for the stocking stuffer swap i used organic candies, paper hats, a joke and homemade mini lotion bars.

crimp the other end - curl the loose ends of the ribbon and you are done!!!!

when 2 people pull an end (like breaking a wishbone) you'll hear a snap! and all the trinkets will come flying out. put on your hat - read your joke and enjoy the treats!