Construct your own festive crackers

Surprise guests with these handmade dinner-table traditions

By Julie Stoyka

I still remember my introduction to the festive fun of a holiday cracker. On the dining room table, my aunt Jenny had put out place holders in the shape of brightly coloured tubes. Before we sat down, we were allowed to “crack” the tube. I shut my eyes and pulled with all my might until the cracker popped. Candy, a paper hat and a fortune my aunt had handwritten for me spilled onto the table.

The Christmas cracker was invented by English baker Tom Smith. After returning from a trip to Paris in 1840 with a bon bon (a sugared almond wrapped in a twist of tissue paper), he was inspired. But it would take seven years for him to create the holiday cracker as we know it, complete with “cracking mechanism” to create a pop when the wrapping was broken.

Of course, the joy of the cracker is not the sudden explosion of the cracker itself, but the prizes inside. Microsoft Home Magazine shows you how to make simple crackers that look great and are fully customizable, so you can fill each one with gifts suited to the recipient.

These interactive decorations add the perfect finish to your holiday table — use them as a place holder as my aunt did — or fill them with gift certificates, small presents or donation receipts.

Supplies

letter-size white or coloured paper
two toilet paper rolls
popsicle sticks or thin wooden skewers
scanned photos or Clip Art
printer
sharp scissors or utility knife
ribbon and craft accessories

Create the cracker “wrapper”

For small gifts, creating your own wrapping paper is a snap on your computer. Pick your favourite holiday Clip Art or digital images of the recipient and insert them all over your Word document. Try to keep the images small, as we did with one of our snowflake-patterned crackers. If you want to use a larger image for your cracker wrap, make sure to create an image large enough to cover the toilet paper roll, and print two copies. That way, when the cracker sides overlap, you can trim your image to match up.

Trim toilet paper rolls.

Staple Popsicle sticks into both tubes.

Trim wrapping paper and glue tube to paper.

Step 1: Prepare the cracker tube

Trim both toilet paper rolls to a width of about four inches.
Cut your Popsicle stick or wooden skewer in half, and staple each half to a toilet paper roll, letting the stick jut out an inch.

Insert one finished tube into another finished tube.

Tie ribbon around one end of tube, then fill with small gifts.

Tie other end and decorate.

Step 2: Wrap the cracker tubes

Trim the wrapping paper so there is at least two inches of extra paper extending over the tube on the side with the stick. Trim the other side, so that there are a few centimetres extending over the tube.
Cover the tube with glue, then roll the wrapping paper around the tube. Neatly fold the few centimetres of paper into the tube so the paper sticks to the inside. Leave the long side for the moment.
Repeat the procedure with the other tube.
Feed one tube into the other, making a small cut in one tube if you need to, until they fit snugly together.
Tie a ribbon around the stick end of one of the tubes, gently tightening the ribbon so the paper doesn’t rip. The paper should tighten snugly around the stick.
Fill the open end of the tube with small gifts.
Tie a ribbon around the other end of the tube in the same way as the first.
Decorate your cracker with ribbon, bows, artificial flowers, beads or pearl sprays.

Add a gift tag if you wish, using matching wrapping paper.

All styling and craft photography by Julie Stoyka of Zariel Creative