If you've never heard of Christmas Crackers before, you are missing out on a amazing tradition. It originated in England, which I lived for a few years. In our family, we take out these bad boys on Christmas Eve and rip them open with a sibling. In store bought ones, there are poppers inside the cracker so that when they rip apart, they make a fun pop sound (I did not opt to do that for mine).
Inside the cracker you get goodies, a paper crown, a toy (the type depends on which cracker you buy), and a super cheesy joke. Ever since we moved to England in 2015, we've done the tradition every Christmas Eve. There was even one year when we were on a cruise during the Christmas and New Year holidays and we're sitting in this fancy restaurant, all dressed up, opening up our Christmas Crackers. All around us are older folks who kept staring at us as we were laughing at the cheesy jokes we shared with one another and wearing our colorful paper crowns. Good times.
So, onto making these amazing crowns. I cannot take credit for this project. This is something I've found and wanted to share with you. I was inspired to do this project by Today We Craft. Click on the name and it'll take you directly to the site where you can read another tutorial for this craft AND download the printable template. As you see below.
You'll need:
The downloaded template (see link above) 8x11 scrapbook paper (1 for each cracker you make) Scissors (or cutting machine) Tape or Glue Goodies Ribbon I bought several sheets of 8x11 scrapbook paper from Hobby Lobby (no affiliate links here, just sharing). Then printed out the template onto the blank side of the paper, for obvious reasons. On the template, it tells you to print on A4 paper, but 8x11 is also fine, you just end up with a shorter cracker than what is standard. It won't affect the width. You can easily cut this by hand, or you can cut with your Cricuit or Sillouette machine (I just got one for Christmas, I'm so excited to use it!!). On the template it tells you where to cut and where to fold. If you are doing this by hand, fold first and then cut. It'll save you the headache.
Once you've finished cutting, you are ready to tape this sucker together! If you are using tape, use double-sided tape. Put the glue/tape on first. Then roll it up, and line up the paper. I usually stuck the middle piece together first, but if you're having a hard time lining it up, start with an edge. But either way you do it is fine, as long as it's lined up and sticking together.
You're cracker is almost done! Now is the fun part! Tie up one end with ribbon first, then place whatever goodies you can fit into your cracker (I just stuck with candy, maybe I'll put in a cheesy joke next year). Then tie up the other end.
Your cracker is done! Yay! A simple, fun gift you can make for your friends and family. Keep in mind that the ends won't completely shut because of the nature of the paper, so don't put anything tiny inside. Standard "fun" sized candy is OK.
On the other site, they say that you can add additional decorations to your crackers, but I like to keep things simple and let the design on the paper do the talking. Thanks for reading! Subscribe, like my Facebook Page, or follow me on Pinterest if you want more Crafts for Gifting ideas. See you next time!
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About MeHello! My name is Char. Thank you for visiting my blog, CallCrafts. I am a wife and mother who LOVES to make things. Read tutorials on crafts I've created to decorate my home, for parties, and more! Read more about me in My Story.
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