Christmas crackers

You will need

  • Scrap paper, i.e. brown or wrapping paper
  • Old Christmas cards
  • Inside of a toilet roll or thin card (ie. cereal packet)
  • Twine, string or saved ribbons
  • Tissue paper
  • Small gift (we used a chocolate coin)
  • Cracker joke (the worst the better!)
  • Scissors
  • Sticky tape
  • Optional: Cracker snaps – available in craft stores; felt pens; gold stars

 

Instructions

  1. Gather together your materials, look for interesting papers, colours and patterns
  2. Cut out a rectangle approx A4 size (21 x 29cm)
  3. Optional: Decorate your paper with pens, use simple patterns
  4. Using a toilet roll tube or A6 size (10 x 15cm) piece of card make a tube and place in the middle of your paper sheet
  5. If using cracker snaps pass through the tube with equal size ends sticking out, secure with a small piece of tape on the inside of the roll.
  6. Roll your sheet of paper around the tube and fasten with a small piece of tape to the join. Gently twist one end of the cracker and fasten with some twine, wool or ribbon.
  7. Now include your joke, hat and gift in the inner tube
  8. Tie the other end and add a tag for decoration, this could include the name of a person

 

rolls of wrapping paper and brown paper
rectangle of brown paper
felt tip decorated brown paper with wavy lines and dots
toilet roll tube
fix the cracker snap through the centre of the tube
materials for cracker, paper, tissue paper hat, joke and chocolate coin
hand made decorated crackers
close up of tree tag added to cracker
cracker end tied with twine to create a natural look
finished cracker decorated with stars
circle of tissue paper
folded tissue paper with triangle cut from top to form paper crown

 

Other tips and ideas

  • To make a hat cut a piece of tissue paper about 62cm long and 10cm width (makes large adult size) stick the two short ends together, flatten out and fold in half, fold in half again and then cut a triangle out to form the crown shape. (no. 9)
  • Make your cracker with festive wrapping paper
  • Make a tag using an old christmas card
  • Decorate with paper doily for a snowflake effect
  • Think about the gift you include: try to find something without plastic. How about a packet of flower seeds that will grow throughout the year?
  • Example jokes: ‘Who hides in a bakery at Christmas?’ – A mince Spy!; ‘How do snowmen get around?’ – By riding an icicle!; ‘What do you get if you eat Christmas decorations?’ – Tinsillitis

 

Download

Download recycled Christmas crackers instruction sheet (pdf)