# My Christmas crackers have arrived. **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [October 11, 2002, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-christmas-crackers-have-arrived/131882 "2002-10-11T22:25:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**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:** [October 11, 2002, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-christmas-crackers-have-arrived/131882/1 "2002-10-11T22:25:39Z")
And it’s not even Hallowe’en! 😃 Now to convince our English overlords to shell out a few ducats for some crackers for the Christmas party (preferably stuffed with American Express gift certificates instead of the cheap toys)… ---
**Author:** ![rocking\_chair](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocking_chair/32/2918_2.png) [@rocking\_chair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rocking_chair)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2002, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-christmas-crackers-have-arrived/131882/2 "2002-10-12T21:39:41Z")
good grief, that’s planning ahead. i usually run around to 3 or 4 stores franticly looking for crackers at the last minute. it’s tradition, ya know ---
**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:** [October 12, 2002, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-christmas-crackers-have-arrived/131882/3 "2002-10-12T22:25:16Z")
I didn’t know how long it would take them to come from England, so I ordered early. I’m hoping to get the shopping done very early this year. ---
**Author:** ![InternetLegend](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/internetlegend/32/13154_2.png) [@InternetLegend](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/InternetLegend)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2002, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-christmas-crackers-have-arrived/131882/4 "2002-10-12T22:55:41Z")
I saw the thread title and thought, “Wow, those Californians really _have_ gone overboard on the low-fat thing, having crackers instead of Christmas cookies!” So, crackers - are they paper things with stuff inside? Explosives? Did Dickens mention them and should I know about them already? ---
**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:** [October 13, 2002, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-christmas-crackers-have-arrived/131882/5 "2002-10-13T14:30:38Z")
**InternetLegend** : Everybody _should_ know about crackers! 😉 But they haven’t caught on in the U.S. I’d never heard about them until about 20 years ago when friends introduced me to the custom. I’m trying to introduce them at work. The department is moderately generous with American Express travellers cheques around the holidays. Usually they have some sort of drawing and people might wind up with $25 or $50 in AmEx form, or a $5 gift certificate to Jamba Juice. I think it would be great to stuff some crackers with cheques and distribute the crackers at the department Christmas party. Hey, we _are_ owned by a British company! 😃 I don’t know if Dickens ever mentioned them. I don’t remember seeing them in _A Christmas Carol_, and I’ve only read part of a Christmas story where he describes everything down to the most minute detail – and that story got a bit dull for me. ---
**Author:** ![everton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ecb155/32.png) [@everton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/everton)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2002, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-christmas-crackers-have-arrived/131882/6 "2002-10-13T15:14:25Z")
[Here’s brief history of the Christmas cracker](http://www.absolutelycrackers.com/historynew.html). It mentions that they were invented in 1847 - which IIRC is the same year Dickens’ _A Chrismas Carol_ was published, so Charles missed his big chance to include them in his most relevant book. I don’t know if he snuck a mention in somewhere else, but my guess is that he didn’t. ---
**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:** [November 14, 2003, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-christmas-crackers-have-arrived/131882/7 "2003-11-14T15:27:43Z")
Ah, what the hell. I mentioned Christmas crackers in another thread and someone commented on them, so I thought I’d bump this one. I was on holiday last year when the company had its holiday party, so I missed out. I had suggested to the president of the department and to his admin (the admin was born in England) that they should have crackers at the party. And they did! People didn’t know what to do with them, but they were instructed and by all accounts they were a _huge_ hit. I’d passed around some crackers to some co-workers at lunch before I left on my trip, and they saved a cracker from the holiday party for me. I suggested crackers for the holiday party again this year, but some things happened. The president was put out to pasture and they brought a new guy in. He and the admin didn’t get along, so she quit. And you all know I was made redundant a month ago. I doubt that they will have crackers at the party this year. But there is still a chance! It’s up to _you_, Dopers, to help popularize crackers in the U.S.! Rush out and get some for your families! Pop the crackers! Wear the paper hats! Play with the toys! Laugh at the mottos! _You can do it!_🙂 ---
**Author:** ![DeVena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/dec6dc/32.png) [@DeVena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DeVena)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2003, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-christmas-crackers-have-arrived/131882/8 "2003-11-14T16:16:13Z")
I put crackers instead of bows on my christmas presents last year. Of course, not one soul knew what to do with them. \ My family - real sweet, but not that bright. 😉 This year I’m making bows out of Zotz candy. ---
**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:** [November 14, 2003, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-christmas-crackers-have-arrived/131882/9 "2003-11-14T16:21:01Z")
I think you should use crackers again. Hey, the family have been exposed to them; why not continue the “tradition”? ---
**Author:** ![Tequila\_Mockingbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/41988e/32.png) [@Tequila\_Mockingbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tequila_Mockingbird)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2003, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-christmas-crackers-have-arrived/131882/10 "2003-11-14T19:25:36Z")
I love Christmas crackers. I ordered a box and received it just after Halloween. I’m hoping since you’re so keen on them, Johnny, my hubby won’t think I’m an ernomous geek. Then again, he might tease me mercilessly simply because I had to have officially licensed Harry Potter crackers. [sub]I really want the enamel Hogwarts badge[/sub] ---
**Author:** ![mtrahey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/43a26b/32.png) [@mtrahey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mtrahey)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2003, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-christmas-crackers-have-arrived/131882/11 "2003-11-14T20:28:47Z")
I was in the local Target (San Diego, CA) last week, Guess what I found! We always have Christmas Crackers. And they are getting easier to find. ---
**Author:** ![Chimpy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a9adbd/32.png) [@Chimpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimpy)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2003, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-christmas-crackers-have-arrived/131882/12 "2003-11-14T20:40:03Z")
crackers are THE best bit of christmas they explode AND you get gifts from them its like all my christmasses roll… oh wait ignore that