United Kingdom (Commonwealth Union)_ From traditionally festive to vintage florals, add a little something extra to your table decorations this festive season.
Shop-bought crackers are overrated, overpriced and crammed full of plastic waste and jokes that your three-year-old nephew could have written.
We will show you how to make your own eco Christmas crackers that will wow your family, friends and guests. These homemade crackers could save money as well and give your wheelie bin time off on Boxing Day.
A sustainable and eco-friendly way to reuse bits and bobs from around the home, there’s no better way to add a personal touch to the festivities, and best of all, no cracker will look the same, so yours are sure to stand out from the crowd.
Consider using leftover pieces of patterned wrapping paper. You’ll be amazed at what you can create with minimal materials. Use spare Christmas wrapping paper in greens and reds, to keep it festive, or go for full-on glamour with gold and silver. Kraft brown wrapping paper alternatively, lends a traditional, classy look and gives you a blank canvas to decorate as you wish.
How to Make Eco Christmas Crackers
You may already have most of the things you need for your homemade Christmas crackers. To make your crackers crack and explode, you’ll need cracker snaps (aka Bon Bon Snaps), preferably not wrapped in plastic. Ecosnap make suitable cracker snaps in case you can’t source yours locally.
What You’ll Need
• recyclable brown wrapping paper or whatever is leftover
• Used toilet roll tubes
• Scissors
• Glue
• Tape
• Some string, ribbon or twine to tie your crackers
• Some cracker snaps
• Paper and pen for the jokes
• Sustainable treats and toys or old-school boiled sweets.
How to Make Them
1. Line up three toilet roll tubes over the wrapping paper to form one big tube. Cut the wrapping paper to slightly over the length of the three tubes and just wide enough to stretch around the tubes with a slight overlap.
2. Roll the paper around the three tubes and glue it in place along the overlap, and then slide a cracker snap strip through the centre of the three tubes.
3. Find where the toilet rolls meet (at one end of the cracker) and gently crease between the two rolls. Then twist the outside roll and tie the twisted paper in place with your twine, string or ribbon.
4. Remove the outer toilet roll tube from the twisted end and stick the cracker snap strip on to the paper to hold it in place.
5. Take your treats and any dodgy jokes you have written down and pour them into the open end of the cracker that has not been twisted yet.
6. Repeat Step 3 at the other end so as to complete your eco-friendly Christmas cracker and seal the treats in.
Top Tip: You could reuse the two toilet roll tubes you pulled out of each end again, with another tube, to create your next cracker.
How Can I Fill Homemade Crackers?
You could improvise as much as you like with homemade crackers. But please do not add anything scary, like live spiders or fake chopped-off fingers – it’s not big, and it’s not clever! Jokes on the other hand, are always a winner. You could even get creative and add puzzles or funny memories for people to read out. Sweets are always popular with the kids, as are spirit and liquor miniatures or luxury chocolates for the adults.
How Can I Decorate Homemade Crackers?
You can let your imagination run wild when decorating your crackers. And you may find inspiration at your local craft shop, which will be full of festive ribbons, stencils, trinkets, etc., at Christmas. Also, the kids may enjoy decorating plain wrapping paper with Christmas-themed potato prints – think snowmen, Christmas trees, Santa, reindeer etc.
The Met Museum of Art have some great resources for making potato prints, if you need guidance.
