# Have you ever pulled a Christmas cracker? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [December 21, 2008, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-pulled-a-christmas-cracker/478223 "2008-12-21T20:39:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2008, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-pulled-a-christmas-cracker/478223/21 "2008-12-21T23:39:01Z")
> [@Hockey\_Monkey](#): > > I haven’t ever pulled one. Am I missing out? 'Cause if I’m missing out, then I’m gonna go get some! 🙂 For some reason this reminds me of a quote from _Blackadder’s Christmas Carol_: 'Oh, dear. Ill-conceived love, I should warn you, is like a Christmas cracker: one massively disappointing bang, and the novelty soon wears off. ’ ---
**Author:** ![PastAllReason](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f07891/32.png) [@PastAllReason](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastAllReason)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2008, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-pulled-a-christmas-cracker/478223/22 "2008-12-22T00:01:57Z")
Yes, buy them every year. Which reminds me I haven’t got any yet; I’ll have to pick some up. ---
**Author:** ![Renee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/renee/32/287_2.png) [@Renee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Renee)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2008, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-pulled-a-christmas-cracker/478223/23 "2008-12-22T00:02:37Z")
This is the first time I’ve ever heard of them. ---
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2008, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-pulled-a-christmas-cracker/478223/24 "2008-12-22T00:11:21Z")
> [@goransmom](#): > > Some traditions just didn’t go away, now if I could just get my hands on a nice selection box and some Quality Streets, my holidays would be perfect! Ah yeah we still all get selection boxes even though we’re all in our late 20’s/30’s. ---
**Author:** ![bluecanary](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bluecanary/32/3614_2.png) [@bluecanary](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bluecanary)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2008, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-pulled-a-christmas-cracker/478223/25 "2008-12-22T00:44:59Z")
Wow, I had no idea - I thought Christmas crackers were ubiquitous (born and live in England). ---
**Author:** ![delphica](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e9a140/32.png) [@delphica](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/delphica)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2008, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-pulled-a-christmas-cracker/478223/26 "2008-12-22T00:47:41Z")
Nope, never pulled one. After hearing about them, my mom went out and found a set in an import store. They were really pretty, and we were all impressed (my family is easily impressed, but it keeps us in a good mood). They seemed too nice just to randomly pull them apart, so we decided to keep them for a special occasion. This was probably 25 years ago, they’re still unpulled. We like to ease in to those furrurn traditions, dontcha know? ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2008, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-pulled-a-christmas-cracker/478223/27 "2008-12-22T00:58:07Z")
Every year, we have crackers. I’ve had them since I was a child, and I had the pleasure of introducing my American-born-and-raised wife to them. She thinks they’re a fun tradition. ---
**Author:** ![KnitWit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f0a364/32.png) [@KnitWit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KnitWit)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2008, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-pulled-a-christmas-cracker/478223/28 "2008-12-22T01:29:07Z")
I’m married to a man from Belfast, so yes, we’ve done crakers. But I wouldn’t have known about them if I hadn’t lived in a heavily Irish part of Boston. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2008, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-pulled-a-christmas-cracker/478223/29 "2008-12-22T01:48:29Z")
I have a cousin who’s big on foreign holiday customs so we started doing Christmas crackers about ten years ago. ---
**Author:** ![romansperson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/romansperson/32/17100_2.png) [@romansperson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/romansperson)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2008, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-pulled-a-christmas-cracker/478223/30 "2008-12-22T01:55:59Z")
I like to have them when we are having a dinner party during the holiday season. I’ve either purchased them from a catalog or from a local store that sells British goods. ---
**Author:** ![fluiddruid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c2a13f/32.png) [@fluiddruid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fluiddruid)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2008, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-pulled-a-christmas-cracker/478223/31 "2008-12-22T02:47:25Z")
We usually pull Christmas crackers, but my father is from London. Even though we don’t celebrate the holidays with him anymore, a lot of the British trappings remain (for example, we eat parsnips and Yorkshire pudding). I have to imagine that a lot of people do use Christmas crackers in the US, though; they had a ton of them at Costco, and this is Des Moines, hardly an immigrant hotspot. ---
**Author:** ![mudkicker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d6d6ee/32.png) [@mudkicker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mudkicker)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2008, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-pulled-a-christmas-cracker/478223/32 "2008-12-22T03:07:06Z")
Yep. He was in my bed til New Year’s. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2008, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-pulled-a-christmas-cracker/478223/33 "2008-12-22T03:08:12Z")
> [@An\_Gadai](#): > > It was only last year, while spending Christmas in the US that I realised that [Christmas crackers](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas_cracker) aren’t all that common over there. My girlfriend was able to pick some up at an import store. No one in her family had ever pulled a cracker before. It surprises me that this isn’t a tradition in the US, as it seems to be common in the rest of the English speaking world. Actually, yeah. But since I don’t celebrate Christmas we pull them on New Year’s. ETA: I have no connection to England- I don’t remember where I first found them, but they are pretty ubiquitous around here (Connecticut). ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2008, 4:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-pulled-a-christmas-cracker/478223/34 "2008-12-22T04:13:34Z")
Canadian here - we always had them at Christmas supper, growing up - along with plum pudding. Now my wife and I have them at Christmas in our house. ---
**Author:** ![dwyr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dwyr/32/363_2.png) [@dwyr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dwyr)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2008, 6:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-pulled-a-christmas-cracker/478223/35 "2008-12-22T06:08:22Z")
I do Christmas dinner for the family every year and always make sure we have crackers. This year I got them [here](http://www.oldenglishcrackers.com/index.php?main_page=index). I did the fill-it-yourself version. In the past I’ve made my own from paper towel cylinders and wrapping paper. The hard part was finding the snaps. And I just steamed the figgy pudding today. The dinner, however, will be our traditional baked country ham with pickled peach gelatin mold and various side dishes. ---
**Author:** ![UnwrittenNocturne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/6de8d8/32.png) [@UnwrittenNocturne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UnwrittenNocturne)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2008, 6:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-pulled-a-christmas-cracker/478223/36 "2008-12-22T06:10:59Z")
Every year until I moved to the US about 4 Xmases back. Never since ---
**Author:** ![vintageloveletter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/8e8cbc/32.png) [@vintageloveletter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vintageloveletter)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2008, 6:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-pulled-a-christmas-cracker/478223/37 "2008-12-22T06:20:56Z")
Yes, when I spent Christmas in Australia. I wonder if I can get some in New York. ---
**Author:** ![vintageloveletter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/8e8cbc/32.png) [@vintageloveletter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vintageloveletter)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2008, 6:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-pulled-a-christmas-cracker/478223/38 "2008-12-22T06:37:18Z")
OK, just did a little research. If any NYC Dopers are interested, you can buy Christmas crackers from [http://www.myersofkeswick.com/Home.html](http://www.myersofkeswick.com/Home.html) I’m going to call in the morning and see if they have anymore in stock. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2008, 6:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-pulled-a-christmas-cracker/478223/39 "2008-12-22T06:48:22Z")
My late mother-in-law loved them, so we’ve been doing them for 30 years. I also saw some in Cost Plus. ---
**Author:** ![Rigamarole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2008, 6:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-pulled-a-christmas-cracker/478223/40 "2008-12-22T06:52:57Z")
Never heard of it until reading this. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-pulled-a-christmas-cracker/478223.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-pulled-a-christmas-cracker/478223.md?page=3)