Christmas crackers

[the game]

So I'm curious. I'm watching the christmas specials for Doctor Who and I"m curious. Are the Christmas crackers a big thing in England? Living in the states I've never heard of them before I watched Doctor Who. They kind of look like cheap fun.

[unfilteredJW]

Man, this is not about crackers at all.

[Deleted]

Dunno what Dr.Who even is..

[the game]

Dunno what Dr.Who even is..

Really? Do you live in a cave?

I don't know if they're actually a big thing over in England, but I've been curious myself over the years. They do sell them here in the States if you want to get some though. Depending on what kind you get they'll typically have a paper hat, a joke and then some kind of other fun stuff inside. From what I can tell they run between $20 and $40 for a set of 6-8.

I mean yeah it looks like cheap stuff in it but seems like something good to do with family on christmas. I've considered getting some.

[Endus]

They're at least moderately a "thing" here in Canada, too. They've been a holiday tradition in my family for at least the last couple generations. We always start the big family Christmas dinner (often 20+ attending) by popping the crackers, and everyone wears the silly paper crowns inside until dessert. The toys are mostly useless, but I've got a set of tiny screwdrivers that popped out of my cracker about 5 years back that I still use to tighten up my eyeglasses now and then.

[Deleted]

we brought some home for christamas when we visited england

yes they are a thing, i can tell you they are great fun for children and adults

unless they happen to contain whistles, in which case a lot of yelling and exasperation may come

[s_bushido]

Title is: "Jumper thrown from skyscraper by disgruntled father."

Shows a picture of an ugly sweatshirt in the street.

Speak English you English bastards.

[The Glitch]

Yep, Christmas crackers are a thing here in the UK. Usually set alongside your table settings for Christmas dinner, before eating folks like to pop them , get their hats on, tell their awful joke and flaff with the wee toy inside. Some folks put the crackers on their Christmas Tree.

They can start off as cheap and nasty £1-2 for 6 really cheap ones, and go as high as £50-100 quid, or even more.

Most just give a paper hat/crown a joke and a small cheap toy, like one of those little flickable plastic frogs, or dice, bottle openers , keychains, miniture packs of playing cards or those little thin plastic fish that curl up on your hand etc.

Depends on the price of the crackers really, as to what you get inside, A friend of mines bought a set of hand crafted crackers for a few thousand pounds, and each cracker had a piece of jewellery inside.

You can buy crackers that have chocs inside, you can buy crackers that have games inside, themed ones etc, the variety is endless

Just a bit of silly fun. Can also buy cracker making kits, so you can make your own and fill them with whatever you wish!

[Independent voter]

Do they explode like firecrackers?

[Endus]

Do they explode like firecrackers?

Not really, there's a tiny amount of stuff in them, just enough to make a bit of a "pop". If you ever had cap guns or something, it's the same stuff, but less than you'd get in those toys.

[schwarzkopf]

Man, this is not about crackers at all.

Was expecting the good old Aussie favourite - Coon and Crackers.

[Aeula]

The title is a little racist, don't ya think? Hue hue hue.

But yeah, always had crackers at Christmas. Fuck knows why, they always contain tat and bad jokes.

[Deleted]

Man, this is not about crackers at all.

oh but it can be, here, pity it wouldn't fit in a cracker.

https://www.amazon.com/Bullwhip-Real.../dp/B016XY3EZO

[dextersmith]

Man, this is not about crackers at all.

I too felt mislead.

[GennGreymane]

The only christmas crackers that matter to me, and the hats that were inside.

[Othraerir]

we still have them every year for xmas, have been having them each year for as long as i remember

[Halyon]

We use'm in Denmark. For various purposes...

Personally use'm for tradition or while playing games.

[Kalis]

You can cheat by holding the cracker up too high.

It is especially effective when you are sitting next to a child at the dinner table, as their small hands can't counter your cracker tactic. You can then show the child how nice you are, by giving the crappy toy you have just won to them and it has the added benefit that they won't give you as many evil stares when you nick the pigs-in-blankets off their plate.

Obviously I would never do this.

[Kronik85]

They are an essential ritual during a stressful time that teach us all we need to know about life.

First you must pull the cracker, at the end of this there will be a victor and a loser. One will feel the triumph of victory and revel in the glory of their new found riches, the other will know defeat, public humiliation and will be ostracised from the table until they have won a paper crown for themselves. Next comes the inevitable disappointment of finding out your prize is a fucking shoe horn. Like seriously? What do I even do with this!? Either way it teaches us to be humble in victory, you just won a shoe horn so get over yourself. Then one place paper crown on ones head and read the terrible joke to remind us all that we all look stupid and our jokes are shit. All are equal at the Christmas table.

Without Christmas crackers Britain would fall into anarchy.

[Xandrigity]

I saw a box of those at the grocery, didn't know what the hell they were. Thought they contained fruitcake or some satanic ritual items.