christmas cracker alternatives please!!!!

[chelseamorning]

Oh wise ones! Can anyone please suggest some alternatives to Christmas crackers?

I'm sick of paying good money for cheap rubbish. Yeah yeah, I know that's the point of crackers but...! My MIL spent £40 on hers last year and everyone still grumbled at the 'gifts' inside and most of them didn't even pull properly.

Bah humbug!

We got a set of amazing crackers from Lakeland I think they cost £12.

Inside each was a horn, music sheet and a conductors baton. We did this a couple of weekends ago and I was literally in tears on the floor trying to play wish you a merry Xmas.!!!!! Highly recommended

Make your own with loo roll innards, and wrapping paper. Put a little something in formeach person. Shout 'Bang!' when you pull them!

You can buy kits to make your own. I have made mine this year and choosen a decent indidual gift to go in each one. The lit comes with everything you need to make a cracker that bangs, plus a joke and a hat. All you need is to buy the gifts and add a name tag and (if you want) add a bit of decoration. Also means they can double up as place settings for the seating around the table.

You can get the bits you need from here

I have made my Christmas Crackers for the last few years, inside I have put lottery tickets, scratch cards and small novelty gifts for everyone, last year I had silky boxers for the men and silk knickers for the girls.

If you are short on time and/or not creative you can buy ready made ones that you fill yourself here.

A SNOW HOUSE... Cardboard box painted to look like doll's house with cotton wool and glitter on the roof. A little wrapped present for everyone. My mum (74) did this as a child in WWII and we've resurrected the tradition.

The snow house sounds lovely - but if you do want to go for crackers, Sainsbury's and Tesco do kits which come with all the bits, joke, hat etc so all you need to add is a gift. We've done this for years now for exactly the reasons you say, bought ones are rubbish! You can always put a nice chocolate in them if you haven't got time/don't want to shop for proper gifts. Goes down well in our house!

Some fab ideas here, ladies. Methinks I'm too late to order the kits, comeovenreadyturkey, but I'm bookmarked it for next year. They do look really great. Perhaps I'll get some in the Spring when they've restocked. There's nowt better than getting ahead for next Christmas!

Not heard of a snow house, fortyplus, but it sounds interesting.

Our DS is 14 months and I'm adamant that he'll be spending all his Christmases at home. I guess it's an opportunity to begin some traditions of our own. A topic for another thread perhaps!!!

I have bought a £1 scratch card for each of my guests, rolled them up and tied them with Christmas ribbon