Christmas crackers

[One2Three4Five6]

We always have Christmas crackers at the dinner table, but every single year the bits and pieces inside them lay around for a few days and invariably end up in the bin. It's a ridiculous waste, but it doesn't seem right not to have them... I like pulling them with family, wearing the silly paper crowns etc, but the small 'gifts' inside always disappoint, I've never found any with decent things inside...
What are the best crackers you've ever had?
I'm looking at possibly making my own this year, what would you put inside them?

If you label them with peoples names, you can choose more personal gifts to put inside. I’ve been using cracker kits for the past few years. It can be quite hard to find decent things that fit inside them. You can re-use decent ribbons used to tie the ends, and put the card shell in the recycling if you choose ones without glitter. I got some in the Oxfam shop sale after last Christmas, box of 12 make your own crackers for half price. Worth a look this year, although they aren’t very sparkly you can tart them up a bit!

I’ve done make your own before - can be decorated and personalised so that the right present ends up with the right person. I’ve put things like alcohol miniatures in, or a posh lip balm, make up could work if appropriate, nice chocolates, a usb flash drive, key ring cable charger. A small phone extra battery pack would fit and could be useful. When my dc were very young, happy land figures fitted well, so if for older than maybe a personalised Lego minifigure (or just a coveted one)?

The best ones I bought had a set of hand bells in - my dc still use these now, several years on, so they were definitely a good investment!

We get one of those cracker kits which come with the snapper, hats and jokes but you have to buy the little presents and then assemble them yourselves. We do it Secret Santa style - everyone draws a name and has a £5 limit. Then secretly put them on the table by each place setting for Christmas dinner.

Things like:
Lip balm/gloss
Nail varnish
Nice key ring
Earrings
Bracelet
Lego mini figures
Hair clips
Scented rubbers
Enamel badges and pins
Golf tees

We’ve made our own for years with sweets, lottery tickets and cracker tat and party bag fillers that has been recycled each year. Ds is in charge of jokes this year so they’ll probably be mine craft themed.
The junk treasure will lie around the house for a while, and sometime in January I’ll bag it all up again until next year.

I bought one of the make your own cracker kits from M&S. Added scratch cards and nice chocolates in each one and the name label meant they doubled up as place settings. Will do the same again this year!

I made my own last year. The had a hat joke a miniature drink of some sort adults alcohol kids pop a trolley token and a scratch card. Amazing what you can fit in them😂

Try looking at Crafty Little Bugs for the kits - they do extra large cracker kits that are brilliant and fit an alcohol miniature inside with room for hats/scratch cards etc

I got mine from hobbycraft last year very reasonable

We got some crackers last year with magic tricks inside that were a big hit, and the tricks are still used now.

We buy the cheapest crackers and embrace the awfulness of the tat

For about the last 10 years, I have been saving all the terrible cracker jokes, and sticking them in a little book. We keep it in a box with the Christmas decorations in the loft.

Fab ideas. Thank you all

@Stompythedinosaur where did you get the magic ones please?

I think they were from John Lewis, a brand called Ridley I think.

www.amazon.co.uk/Christmas-Crackers-Trucks-Trains-Building/dp/B074JKDZKC/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?keywords=build+and+play+christmas+crackers&sprefix=build+and+play+christmas+crackers&tag=mumsnetforu03-21&qid=1569084379&sr=8-3

www.amazon.co.uk/Kuckoo-Crackers-12-inch-Building-Christmas/dp/B07WPPG1PX/ref=mp_s_a_1_1_sspa?psc=1&keywords=build+and+play+christmas+crackers&sprefix=build+and+play+christmas+crackers&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUEySEJETTRTUFlaV0YxJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwMTkwMTM5MUZFWFVSQVBORlFZMyZlbmNyeXB0ZWRBZElkPUEwOTc5NTg0Q0gyOTI5TDVWQjIyJndpZGdldE5hbWU9c3BfcGhvbmVfc2VhcmNoX2F0ZiZhY3Rpb249Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU=&tag=mumsnetforu03-21&qid=1569084379&sr=8-1-spons

How about these

We've also had the hand bell crackers and loved them. We've had them with both sides of the family and have been a lot of fun.

www.crowdfunder.co.uk/crackers-without-the-crap-1

I quite fancy the hand bell ones for this year Peas , where did you get them?

While I hate the idea of tat, I ideally want a cracker to keep my dc occupied at the table for a while.

Amazon - I think the brand was Robin Reed. They were about £20 for 8. They come with a few carol sheets and the bells are numbered so that you know when you're supposed to play.

Best with a little alcohol 😆

They also do whistles but I doubt we'd be able to use them for laughing.

We had a set like these one year, with whistles. They were great and we kept the whistles for ages - quite a good party piece

I was gunna get choc filled ones from hotel chocolat this year

Master of Malt do ones with a dram of alcohol inside. DH had a whiskey one last year that was much appreciated.

I had the hotel chocolat ones last year, they were good quality and filled with chocolate, hat and joke. perfect

You get charity ones with no toy just a pic saying the moneys been donated.

There’s only two of us, I’d be happy to pay extra for a couple of lovely crackers rather than 8 plastic tat filled ones

Hotel chocolat ones look good

I got some from amazon with glass animals in for adults, and ones with teddy bears in for kids. I've seen ones with fruit & veg seeds, silver sixpences, jewellery, mini Lego kits.