Handmade Christmas Crackers

What you need

• Handmade paper, brown paper, tissue paper, or sugar paper measuring 41cm L x 20 cm W approx
• A piece of rectangular card approx 13cm L x 14cm W 
• A Party Hat, Cracker Snap, a small gift (perhaps consider non plastic, vegan/recyclable items) and a Joke. NB Find all you need to make your own crackers at www.fredaldous.co.uk And Hawkins Bazaar sells traditional cracker gift items. Alternatively, make your own paper hat and joke. 
• Raffia
• Decorative items : For example ribbon, or toppers made from natural twigs, dried flowers, or re-useable items i.e. christmas cake decorations, small tree decorations or thin tinsel.

Also, scissors, PVA glue, sticky tape and a stapler


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What you do


Take the rectangular card, roll it up loosely, and make into a cardboard tube. Fasten with staples.


Insert the gift, the hat, the joke, and, lastly, carefully insert the cracker snap allowing equal lengths to protrude from each end of the tube.
Place the tube and all its contents in the centre of the paper sheet and wrap and roll the paper around it, fix by using PVA glue or sticky tape.


The tricky bit how is to bunch up one end, closing the opening immediately to the right side of the cardboard tube.Tie up this end tight with raffia. NB It may be better for two people to do this as the contents in the tube could fall out of the open end.


Repeat this action to the left side of the cardboard tube.
Ensure the cracker snap is in place relatively tightly and that it still sits in a centered in position.


Snip the ends of each cracker to make the traditional cracker 'fringe'.


Decorate the tops. Tie or glue on items rather than tape.
Add a tag (optional).