Bring Britain home for Christmas with your own DIY English Christmas crackers! This fun craft doubles as a holiday gift and can be customized with different papers and gifts to fit your theme.

Legend has it that Christmas crackers were invented in the mid 1800s by a chocolatier looking for a gimmick to sell his chocolates. Sitting by the fire, he dreamt up the first prototype for his product which he called “Bangs of Expectation.” The plan became a huge success and soon became a staple in holiday celebrations in Britain and beyond. After all, what better combination than chocolate and explosives? In this tutorial, you’ll learn how to make DIY English Christmas crackers at home in just a few simple steps!

THEY CAN BE USED FOR OTHER CELEBRATIONS, TOO!

• Birthdays – Perfect for an alternative to blowing out the candles on a cake.
• Wedding Parties – Instead of jokes, write conversation prompts on the cards. This is a great way to “break the ice” when family and friends are meeting for the first time.
• Gender Reveals – Color-coded confetti and crowns are a fun way to reveal gender without an elaborate display.
• Gift Card Holders – Christmas crackers are a great way to present a gift card without just handing someone a card. 

MATERIALS YOU WILL NEED

We recommend making DIY English Christmas Crackers with our premade kits that have almost everything you need to get started. If you’re building your English crackers from scratch, you’ll need:

MAKING ENGLISH CHRISTMAS CRACKERS WITHOUT USING TOILET PAPER ROLLS

The idea of using toilet paper tubes in crafts is extremely unappealing, in my opinion. If you want to reuse something, reuse a paper towel tube. You can also purchase clean kraft tubes in hobby stores, or you can repurpose mailing tubes or wrapping paper tubes for the center of the crackers. 

Cardboard tubes will make the cracker very sturdy. If you’re looking for a more combustible cracker like the ones found in a store, you can use a piece of heavy cardstock that’s rolled into a tube shape, too. Use what you have on hand!

HOW TO MAKE ZERO WASTE CHRISTMAS CRACKERS

For those looking to curb their climate impact, zero waste DIY English Christmas crackers are a great way to celebrate without harming the environment. Use seeded paper in place of the wrapper and border papers. Seeded paper is often made with 100% post consumer waste and contains wildflower seeds. After the cracker has popped, plant it in soil and enjoy fresh flowers! 

You can use jute twine for the bows, tissue paper crowns, as well as tissue paper confetti inside. Snaps are usually made entirely from recyclable and compostable kraft. For a gift, fill it with something practical like a seed ball. When it comes to assembly, make it zero waste by using eco-friendly glues or paper tape. 

WHAT TO PUT IN HOMEMADE CHRISTMAS CRACKERS

Christmas crackers traditionally come with four main elements: a crown, joke, confetti, and some sort of prize. I like to change the contents depending on the theme of the cracker I’m making. For some inspiration, here are a few ideas:

Hot Drink Cracker: Fill your cracker with a single serve packet of hot cocoa, tea, or coffee. Add in a beverage napkin and small recipe.

Gardener’s Cracker: Follow the guidelines for Zero-Waste crackers and fill with seed balls for a plantable popper!

Baking Christmas Cracker: If you’re a baker, fill the tube with home-made cookies or candies! Make sure they’re wrapped in grease-proof paper or air-tight container to maintain freshness!

Spa and Wellness Cracker: Fill with a small cloth headband, mantra, and skin cream for a quick retreat.

Pet Lover Cracker: Share a surprise with your pet! Fill with a pet toy and a treat for your favorite furry friend.

Bachelorette/Stag Party Cracker: Fill the crackers with a mini liquor bottle or candy ring to get the party started!

HOW TO MAKE CHRISTMAS CRACKERS

Making these party crackers at home takes only a few simple steps. If you’d like, you can also print out this instruction sheet to help you while you work. A video tutorial is posted at the end of this blog so you can work alongside me step by step!

Gather your Materials

If you’re using our premade kits, everything is all set up for you right out of the box. If not, you’ll need to cut out the cracker wrapper and strips before working. 

Glue on the Edging

Glue the edging strips inside the cracker wrapper. I glue the strips about a thumbs-width of the way down into the wrapper. You’ll have about 1” of overhang that you can see outside the wrapper. 

Seal the Seams

The edging is a bit thick, so I like to roll the paper around the kraft tube to curl it and make it a little less stiff. Start at one end of the cracker and wrap it around the craft tube. Seal the seam of the paper, but don’t glue it to the kraft tube. Let it dry completely. Once it’s dry, repeat with the other end and seal. 

Seal in the Kraft Tube

Push the kraft tube into the center cavity of the cracker. Seal the edges. You can glue the cracker wrapper to the tube during this stage, if you prefer. It doesn’t matter.

Tie One Opening

Use your ribbon or twist-tie bow to seal one end of the cracker. There will be a small hole, which is where the cracker snap will go in. Thread the cracker snap through that small hole until it comes out the other open end.

Fill Your Cracker

Because these are DIY English Christmas crackers, you can fill them with whatever you want. Traditional crackers will have a crown, joke, confetti, and some sort of prize in them. You might want to fill yours with all kinds of different things or just keep it simple and put a few pieces of candy in them. 

Seal the Cracker

Use the remaining bow and tie up the last end of the cracker. I like to use a little dollop of glue to fasten the snap to the cracker. It doesn’t stop the cracker from popping and it helps keep the snap from falling out when the cracker is moved. And that’s it! Your cracker is finished!

NOTES AND TIPS 

Decorate the Outsides: Although the cracker is pretty enough on the outside, you can add stickers and other accents to make it “pop!” Add a gift tag or paper cutout to the cracker or even write the recipient’s name to make it more personalized.

Get Creative with the Paper: This tutorial is best used with stiffer paper that is harder to crumple. Cardstocks and heavier weighted papers will fold best when the diamond pattern is cut out from the paper. You can skip the diamond cutouts when using sheets made from thinner wrapping paper and scrapbook sheets. 

Make them Ahead of Time: Making crackers for the first time can be time consuming for non-experienced crafters. Thankfully, these are great crafts to make all year long in preparation for the holidays! They’re also a great gift to have on hand for an unexpected exchange during the holidays!

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If you tried these DIY English Christmas Crackers and love them as much as I do, leave me some feedback in the comment section below! Feel free to share it with others, too!

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