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Original poster

Bloody Christmas Crackers

259 replies

GlamorousHeifer · 14/12/2024 07:21

I am driving myself mad (admittedly a short drive!) over Christmas crackers of all things!
I must have been looking online researching my options for about 8+ hours (in total, not 8 straight hours, I'm not that crazy!) but none of them are quite right.
Must be:
*Plastic free
*Beautiful
*8 pack
*Pre made, not make yourself
*Decent gift (no toe nail clippers or tiny screwdrivers!) Ideally a keepsake.
*Suitable for teen boys and girls
*Not more than £25.
Aibu to believe the crackers of my dreams exist despite an extensive search coming up with nothing?
For those that need to hear it, this is lighthearted, yes I do have plenty of other things to worry about, yes I know the COL has gone up and some people won't be able to celebrate at all etc etc.

OP posts:
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16
Storynanny1 · 17/12/2024 08:37

Talipesmum · 14/12/2024 08:48

I still hanker after the “snowbabies” crackers from late 1980s which had little mini ceramic baby animals in them - Penguin, seal cub, snow fox etc. They were so cute.

Me too! Last year I bought make your own crackers for all of the little ones and found wade whimsies in a charity shop which fitted in the tube perfectly

Butteredtoast55 · 17/12/2024 00:30

We've had the musical ones before and they were great fun. In fact, I wonder what happened to the little hand bells?
Anyway, I then moved on to making our own and just put lindor chocolates in them as I have a massive aversion to more 'stuff'. Now I just do a variety of lindor in pretty cellophane bags which everyone likes more than crackers.

Talkingfrog · 16/12/2024 22:21

Gerrysmum · 14/12/2024 07:33

I've gone for these from the RSPB - https://shopping.rspb.org.uk/christmas-shop/christmas-crackers/wildwood-recycled-crackers-pin-badges-2x-boxes-of-6.html?gclsrc=aw.ds&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQiA0--6BhCBARIsADYqyL9lKt-WhAhOi5LHXggCA2_J1ssjXU69bJge-_1hzdIDaRVmxSIaYVYaAs_cEALw_wcB

We love the pin badges and they are something a bit different to the usual tat.

Thank you - have ordered these. We often get pin badges when we visit so these will be fun.

GETTINGLIKEMYMOTHER · 16/12/2024 20:39

To me, the daft tat is part of the fun. Expensive crackers usually just have more expensive tat that nobody wants, though admittedly we did once get a set of mini screwdrivers, which have occasionally been useful.

WimbyAce · 16/12/2024 18:40

One year my mum got some and they had little hedgehog figures inside. Honestly the games I had with those hedgehogs, even made them a little house!

AnnoyedAsAllHeck · 16/12/2024 16:09

CrackersAndMarmite · 14/12/2024 08:41

Some scary looking nutcracker men figures that look like they might murder me in my sleep by the look of it OP!! I'd avoid unless you want to be the star of the latest Christmas day horror movie!

Show quote history

Oh my! Thank you for the nightmare fodder!

Not sure how much Christmas joy they might bring. Perhaps if you burn them all after opening it could be joyful. Or at least relief and feeling safe again.....

Please understand, I am kidding. Those are something I think teens would get a kick out of because of the faces.

TabbyM · 16/12/2024 14:29

RSPB have nice one with badges inside ;)

Scentedjasmin · 16/12/2024 14:12

Today in Homesense. Eco crackers. £25.

Bloody Christmas Crackers
Bloody Christmas Crackers
Deargodletitgo · 16/12/2024 12:31

I really like the small screwdrivers personally and am using a moose keyring from the cracker from last year!

MabelMaybe · 16/12/2024 12:17

just reminding people to check delivery dates on these. I wanted to get some kuckoo ones from Amazon, having seen them on here, but they're showing a delivery date of 6th Jan!

HughGrantsfurrysquirrel · 16/12/2024 11:19

Not sure about the plastic-free part, but look on Amazon for KUCKOO CRACKERS. They have everything from fidget toys, to Lego-type build & play gifts, teddies, etc.....

I must admit, i'm a little bit addicted to buying fancy crackers!!!!

Goodtogossip · 16/12/2024 10:56

Why not buy some crackers you like & slide a £10 gift card into it for a coffee shop or shop you know the teens will shop in. That way you're not spending a fortune on crackers with tat in & the kids can enjoy a nice treat. For adults you could slide a lottery ticket in.

nunsflipflop · 16/12/2024 03:50

Wildywondrous · 14/12/2024 09:33

I've been having the opposite problem and just want some cheap throwaway ones that don't have a game in, I dont want to be playing games while I eat my christmas dinner.
The kids are only interested in the hat and the joke.
I want the old style ones with a frog that you can flip across the table and a fortune telling fish.

My fondest childhood memory is my wonderful Grandad swapping whatever he got in his cracker with the person with the fish. My daughter managed to get some last year with those tacky old gifts in, and the fish proudly sits in the photo frame, that holds the photo of my grandad.

DressOrSkirt · 16/12/2024 03:28

I think what you want is fine and findable, but does not and should not cost less than £25. Where are the materials and labour (including beautiful design work) going to come from for that price?

Lourdes12 · 15/12/2024 23:23

get your kids to write some jokes on a piece of paper and put inside some toilet rolls. Wrap the toilet rolls with some festive wrapping paper and tie both corners with ribbon done

XiCi · 15/12/2024 23:13

Sebsaloysius · 15/12/2024 23:01

And as a spectacles wearer, I never underestimate the usefulness of that set of tiny screwdrivers in the more 'traditional' crackers. Fellow glasses wearers will know why...

However, this Christmas is a very different one for us, for a host of reasons. And that meant even the cracker of choice had to be different. So I've bought some that have a wind-up, Christmas themed toy in each one, and include a board across which you race your character against the others. I'm very much looking forward to having a mad santa race over the cheese and biscuits!

We got these a few years ago and have kept them and race them every year. It's now a Xmas tradition. Really good fun.

Sebsaloysius · 15/12/2024 23:01

And as a spectacles wearer, I never underestimate the usefulness of that set of tiny screwdrivers in the more 'traditional' crackers. Fellow glasses wearers will know why...

However, this Christmas is a very different one for us, for a host of reasons. And that meant even the cracker of choice had to be different. So I've bought some that have a wind-up, Christmas themed toy in each one, and include a board across which you race your character against the others. I'm very much looking forward to having a mad santa race over the cheese and biscuits!

Nomorepants · 15/12/2024 22:58

PomandersandRedRibbon · 15/12/2024 18:30

@Nomorepants it saw those also
Have you got them OK it all looked too good to be true

Yes paid full price for first set and now ordered 2 more from same supplier. Am sure will be fine.

masterblaster · 15/12/2024 21:54

The crackers exist.

just not at your price point.

you can buy them for 150 quid at Fortnum and Mason.

domage.

GoldenLegend · 15/12/2024 21:49

Make your own 'not cracker' gift from a little bit of tissue and put something small inside it? Or make crackers and tell people they have to shout bang when they pull them.

Notaflippinclue · 15/12/2024 21:14

Eleanor Bowman - Harlequin

Judecb · 15/12/2024 20:47

Ditch the crackers - they're just landfill! 😆

TopshopCropTop · 15/12/2024 20:14

We hosted Christmas lunch today for friends and we just had Asda crackers. They were plastic free but instead of gifts they had cardboard glasses inside that everyone put on and had a bit of a laugh with. Nobody cares about the gifts inside and these were a bit of entertainment, the kids especially liked them.