Tutorial of the Christmas Cracker
Ohhh, how I remember these fun gifts as a kid! Every year, I would always ask for them at Christmas. It was never the same without them. They bring a special magic that people of all ages love. There were always smiles all around, just anticipating that POPPING sound! Then, the goodies spilled out! Yay! Since they bring so many special memories, I looked up how to make them and found a very easy 3-minute tutorial on You Tube by
House To Home. Check it out.
History of the Christmas Cracker
How these splendid little treats came into play? Well, they were created by Tom Smith who was a baker, sweet shop, and wedding cake ornament maker in London during 1847. He was always looking for ways to market his baked goods. One year, in 1940, he traveled to Paris in search of new ideas and discovered the bon bon. This was a sugared almond wrapped and twisted in tissue paper. When he returned to London, his version of bon bons were very successful during the Christmas Season.
After Christmas, like all companies, business slowed down. To try to rev up business again, he started putting little slips of paper into his bon bons with romantic sayings on them.
In time, other businesses picked up his idea and began successfully selling them, as well. Once again, he thought about how to drive up sales and what he could do to differentiate himself from his competition. On one of these evenings, he threw a log into the fireplace which popped and crackled. That was the inspiration he needed to develop his bon bons further than anyone else had.
It took two years, in 1860, before he found the right materials he could safely use in these treats. During this time, he made further changes. For instance, he stopped using sweets and started adding little gifts. He also changed the name of his new creations from bon bons to "Cosaques’- named after the sound of Cossack horse-riders whips used during the Franco-Prussian war."
After his passing in 1869, his three sons kept up with this tradition; however, they made additional changes to the cracker design, mottoes and its contents. His youngest son, Walter, is the one who stopped using love sayings and replaced them with sayings that reflected current events. He is also the one who put the paper hat into these crackers.
What's inside a Christmas Cracker?
Traditionally sweets, gifts, a joke, and a little paper hat; but, you can fill 'em with anything you wish. Gifts can be inexpensive or filled with luxury items. Also, remember these fun crackers are not only for Christmas but can be customized for any holiday and occasion throughout the year.
Where to Buy the crackers (25 for $4.95) that make these little treats go POP!
