Christmas Crackers are traditionally pulled at Christmas parties in the UK by two people, often with arms crossed, and, much like a wishbone, the cracker splits unevenly (accompanied by a cracking sound similar to that of a cap gun). The person with the larger portion of the cracker keeps the contents, typically a coloured paper hat; a small toy or other trinket and a motto, joke, riddle or piece of trivia on a small strip of paper.
Thomas Smith invented them in London in 1847. They were a development of his bon-bon sweets, which he sold in a twist of paper, which is the origin of the traditional sweet-wrapper. When bon-bons stopped being popular, he put a motto in the wrappers, but it wasn’t successful. Then one day he was listening to the crackle of his log fire and got the idea to add the crack, which is why he had to make it so much bigger, and the sweet got replaced by a gift. The other bits, like the hats, were introduced by his son, Walter, to differentiate it from all the imitation brands!
Have a have festive period everyone!
Thomas Smith invented them in London in 1847. They were a development of his bon-bon sweets, which he sold in a twist of paper, which is the origin of the traditional sweet-wrapper. When bon-bons stopped being popular, he put a motto in the wrappers, but it wasn’t successful. Then one day he was listening to the crackle of his log fire and got the idea to add the crack, which is why he had to make it so much bigger, and the sweet got replaced by a gift. The other bits, like the hats, were introduced by his son, Walter, to differentiate it from all the imitation brands!
Have a have festive period everyone!
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