Home Made Christmas Crackers

This year, Mr B and I are hosting Christmas brunch at our house for the first time. I'm  really excited, but also really nervous because we have always had Christmas brunch at my Mum and Dad's and they have certainly set big standards for us to live up to.

In saying that, I think I am nearly organised, I've got the dinner set, I've made the centrepieces, I've stamped some beautiful napkins, I've brought platters and today Mum and Dad dropped in some gorgeous Christmas Lillies. The only thing left was the Christmas Crackers! Unfortunately none of the ones in the shop really grabbed me, sure they were pretty, but nothing matched my table and the idea I had in my head for how it was all going to look. So I decided to get my Martha on and make our own Crackers or Bon Bons or whatever you want to call them!

I was surprised at how easy they were really.

All you need is

6 small cardboard tubes (you could use toilet rolls or the cardboard roll from the inside of your wrapping paper cut into 4 works great too!)
Wrapping paper
Ribbon
6 small toys (we used the little toys from the inside of kinder surprises - win/win, we got to eat chocolate and we got cool toys for the crackers! Plus I think everyone will love putting them together on Christmas Day!)
6 dodgy Christmas jokes (definitely optional!)
6 Snaps (These are the things that make your crackers go 'bang' - I brought mine on Ebay but you should be able to find them at most craft shops at this time of year)
Glue gun or glue stick

Cut the paper into 6 rectangles roughly 31cm x 25cm.

Take one square of paper and place one cardboard tube in the centre of one edge.

Place a snap underneath the tube. Place your toy and your joke in the tube.

Now roll the tube up firmly in the paper and seal with the glue.

Gently twist the ends, using the edge of your cardboard tube as a guide. Tie some ribbon around these twists to secure them.

And there you have it! Home made Christmas Crackers at a fraction of the cost and you can personalise them anyway you want!

Mrs B xx