The History of the Christmas Cracker

Christmas Crackers
8 in. x 8 in.
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When you stop to think about it, the Christmas Cracker is a really strange tradition. A tube of card wrapped in paper which when pulled apart goes "bang" and releases a small treat.

Where did such a bizarre Xmas custom originate? The nearest equivalent would seem to be the Mexican pinata, however the pulling of the cracker by two people seems more akin to the sharing of a wishbone.

Who Invented the Christmas Cracker?

Like so much of our modern Christmas, we owe the invention of the cracker to the Victorians.

The first crackers were made by Tom Smith of London. Smith was a sweet maker who used to sell sugar almonds wrapped in twists of coloured paper - these were inspired by the "bon-bons" he had seen in Paris. To increase sales in his store, he began to include little mottoes inside, rather like a fortune cookie.

Later on, in 1847, Smith hit upon a method of making the "crack" mechanism. This used saltpetre which was ignited by friction to produce the bang sound. In order for the cracking mechanism to fit, the size of the sweet had to be increased. This led to Smith eventually abandoning the sweets altogether and replacing them with a surprise gifts. This innovation proved very popular and many people wanted to buy them.

Smith originally called his new invention "Cosaques", apparently because the cracking sound reminded him of the Cossack's whips. However this name gradually faded from use.

Smith's new crackers continued to grow in popularity and he eventually opened a factory to manufacture them. In 1953 Tom Smith's company merged with Caley Crackers.

Modern Christmas Crackers

Today there is a huge range of crackers on the market. At the cheapest end of the market the Christmas cracker has sometimes been ridiculed - it has a reputation for including an inane mottoe or appalling joke and a cheap plastic "gift". Oh, and a brightly coloured paper hat! But for me Christmas just wouldn't be the same without a silly hat and a dreadful joke.

For those who want something more up-market, there are a large number of higher quality Christmas crackers available. Some stores sell really expensive luxury items; for example Harrods of London is this year (2005) selling a box of six luxury crackers for £199 - approximately $360.

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