Growing up in Canada, Christmas crackers
have always been a part of my Christmas dinner tradition. I didn’t realize
until recently that this is a distinctly British custom, passed along to the
Commonwealth nations, and many Americans may not be familiar with it. For those
of you who aren’t, here’s a short explanation.
Christmas crackers come with many different
wrappers, but they basically consist of a cardboard tube wrapped in bright
paper that is twisted closed at both ends. A “banger” (a chemically impregnated
card strip) is threaded through the middle, so that when you pull the ends of
the cracker, it splits with a bang (much like a cap gun). Typically the joy of
opening a cracker is shared by two people, with one pulling on each end.
Store-bought crackers usually have a small
toy or trinket, a joke or riddle on a slip of paper, and a tissue-paper hat
inside. My mother has made homemade crackers using cloth and toilet paper tubes
and fills them with more extravagant surprises and chocolates. Crackers are
typically opened just before the Christmas dinner, and those who get into the
spirit will wear the hats throughout the meal.
Tom Smith of London, England, invented
crackers in 1847, as a promotion to sell his bon-bon sweets, which he sold in a
twist of paper. The banger was added to emulate the crackle of a log on a fire,
and eventually the crackers increased in size and trinkets and hats replaced
the sweets.
I can’t imagine sitting down to Christmas
dinner without finding a cracker next to each plate. Whatever the rituals may
be in your home, I hope your Christmas was a peaceful and merry one!
Susan R. Hughes writes contemporary and historical romance novels set in
Canada. She lives in Ottawa, Ontario, with her husband and three children.
Learn more about her books at www.susanrhughes.weebly.com
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