A DIY Christmas cracker is a fun activity with the kids, a great way to personalize Christmas dinner and reduce plastic waste. Here is a guide to making them and ideas for what to fill them with!

What you’ll need

  • Scissors
  • Christmas wrapping paper, or
  • Coloured paper, preferably Christmas themed
  • Cardboard tubes (from inside a toilet paper or roller towel roll)
  • Trinkets and gifts
  • Snaps
  • Paper party hats
  • Jokes
  • Ribbon
  • Glue

 

Method

  1. Cut pieces of Christmas or coloured paper into 30cm by 16cm rectangles.
  2. Start by cutting the paper into rectangles (30cm by 16cm(
  3. Place the paper face (or patterned side) down
  4. Fill the cardboard tube with its contents
  5. Lay the snap strip along the length of the paper in the middle of the rectangle
  6. Place the cardboard tube (now full) right on top of the snap strip in the centre of the rectangle
  7. Make sure there is a significant amount of paper beyond both ends of the tub (this will become the tufts of paper on each end which people grab onto to pull the cracker)
  8. Roll the wrapping paper around the tube and tape it to hold it in place with the ends open
  9. Now use ribbon to tie the paper closed at each end. Be careful not to tear the paper.

 

Ideas for Christmas cracker fillings:

  • Chocolate
  • Keyrings
  • Earrings or rings
  • Microfibre cloth for cleaning screens
  • Lip balm
  • Stickers
  • Badges
  • Jokes or prompts (“tell us a fact nobody here knows about you” or “do an impression of the person to your left” – get creative with it!)
  • Scrunchies
  • Mini spirit bottles
  • Mini perfumes
  • Gift card/coupon
  • Seeds
  • Artisinal soaps
  • Collectible Lego characters
  • Lipstick

Don’t forget to place personalized crackers at the corresponding guests’ seats, and recycle the waste!

READ MORE: SUSTAINABLE CHRISTMAS DECOR

Sustainable Christmas Decor