Christmas Crackers - do you or don't you?

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Now my DC are older (15 and 12.6 at Christmas) I like the nicer crackers. They have a better 'snap' , less plastic tat , and we all have to wear the hats

I can never decide though if it's worth going for the luxe brands like Tom Smiths or the ££ John Lewis or M&S.

I used to do a cracker, a Party Popper (the little pop thing with streamers) and a little box of table sweets. But...the sweets don't get eaten and the poppers are messy, not to mention fire hazardous (I have candles)

If I find some that I fall in love with, I plan my Christmas Table round them.
So, what nice ones are out there?

Buy the M and S ones in the sales after Christmas, half the price (sometimes more!) and keep them safe for the following year :)
Could even get them on Christmas Eve if you're brave enough! I always get posh M and S cards for everyone on Christmas Eve for half the price :D
We don't mind tatty crackers in our house though ;)

Or should say sometimes less? YKWIM!

Do you really want to go all out? Fortnums?? I have spent many a year with my nose pressed up against the glass there, eyeing up their crackers...

These are nice?!

Nice! £500!!!

Mmmm the buying half price in January does appeal (but too late for this year)
I daren't do a Christmas Eve hopeful search (even though they seem to have loads left and pile them up to sell off) , I couldn't do my table plan .
I'm drawn towards some in JL but they are pale blue and I have nothing else that is........have to be white/silver tablewear,

I've gone from those F&M crackers ,( lovely but @ £500 ) to the spirits/whisky page for DH. I don't think he'll be getting the £2,300 bottle of 1968 vintage.

I like the ones with the windey up animals that you can race.

I once had crackers where all the hats were gold. I didn't like those. Dull.

Such a bargain!
I think blue silver and white sounds lovely by the way, very winter wonderland esque

I always buy when they are half price or make them myself.

I make our own "Luxury" crackers! I use lots of posh paper and ribbons to decorate to coordinate with each years colour theme, and have decorated with everything from mini gingerbread men to personalised photos for each person.
I make them unique for each family member and fill with something tiny that I know they'll love - last year was earrings for my mum and mil, charms for dds' Nomination charm bracelets, photo key rings and miniatures of real, properly expensive whisky and liqueurs for DH, my brothers and my Dad - you can buy a miniature like this for £10, a full bottle would be £100 at least!
When the girls were small I'd put accessories for their new toys in - Barbie or Sylvanian outfits or teeny dolls for their dolls house.
They are one of the first things I plan each year and I love them!

The only problem is the pressure to come up with something new each year! if anybody has any ideas for luxury fillers for this year I'd be v grateful!

I fill empty ones for dcs 16 and 18 with something nice...silver earrings, £20 rolled up , keyring....pressure is to find something nice.

Hate crackers generally...full of tat which goes straight in bin

I love how the Fortnums ones cost 500 quid and yet they still include a paper hat!!!!!

I buy cheap Tesco ones and put in a nicer gift. I would make my own but too tricky and time consuming. If you gently pull one end of a pre-made cracker then the it opens wide enough for you to pop in a small item without disturbing the cracker tape. Gently push it closed again.
I put in a USB memory stick, lottery card, party popper, hair clips, key ring, nice pen, balloons etc.

The contents of those F&M crackers are horrible.

Getting these ones this year www.selfridges.com/en/meri-meri-nutcracker-large-crackers-eight-pack_293-3001888-451538/ because they look nice, that's the only reason . They're just a tradition aren't they, it wouldn't be the same without them for some weird reason but they're absolutely rubbish .

My mum used to do table gifts instead of crackers. Then you can choose small gifts suited to the recipient. They were little gold bags, tied with a holly leaf with our names on.

I don't normally do crackers as we tend to go to family for dinner and they always have them.

I may buy some this year and put some nicer gifts in them.

I'm twitching already, so I'm trying to find ways to stop.

We have done a cracker secret Santa before now with a price limit and obviously a size limit and I bought fill your own crackers.

When it was just us with no guests we sent the DC into Poundland to choose cracker gifts which was funny.

M&S usually reduce theirs to half price for a few days way before Christmas. My Mum keeps the ones she like in her online basket so she can order them quickly once reduced.

We like cheap and tatty crackers here - a fake moustache a water spraying ring, a fortune telling fish - you can't have a Christmas dinner without a fortune telling fish saying that granny is the most passionate one and the teenage DD is "in love"

One of the DC usually helps make our own. We have a stash of wind up toys from crackers past, so one of those - either reindeer or silly insects, or Royal Family/Beano characters combo - to race along the table after the pudding.
And a lottery scratchcard - more fun than a draw ticket, as the result is instant.
Hats from ebay.
Wrapped chocolates
Snaps from Hawkins.

I'm not keen on the cardboard kits, as I prefer using either a fancy wrapping paper (although it can't be too heavy or it won't rip) or retro stylee crepe paper and shiny ribbon.