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These festive showstoppers are bound to bring extravagance to the table
No Christmas table is complete without crackers. They’re arguably as important as the turkey, roast potatoes and brussels sprouts and have been part of our festive traditions for well over a century. From the snap to the gift, paper crown and, of course, the jokes, everyone from grandpa to our youngest relations gets a kick out of crackers at Christmas.
A brief history: crackers were invented by Tom Smith in the mid-1800s when the London-based confectioner was inspired by the sugared almond bonbons wrapped in a twist of tissue paper he had seen while on a trip to Paris. He later swapped out the sweets, filling the crackers with trinkets and snaps. And after his death, his sons took over the business and added paper hats.
Today’s crackers come in all sorts of designs and with various gifts, but they exist for the same purpose as the Tom Smith original: to bring an element of fun to the table. There are now crackers for pets, children and versions especially for adults – think boozy treats inside.
Of the most coveted, though, are the luxury Christmas crackers. Those festive dinner table mainstays that add a look of opulence and hold within gifts which won’t be discarded with the paper wrapping. Speaking of the wrapping, many are now recyclable, and some are even reusable over many Christmases.
And don’t worry about the cost of living crisis affecting your chances of luxury crackers sitting atop your table – some affordable options are just as special as even the most expensive brands.
We searched for this year’s finest crackers from the brands you’d expect and some newer players in the field. We’ve included classic trinket crackers, those that can be given as gifts, food and drink delights and reusable crackers that we can see being used for generations.
Each cracker has been opened with a fellow tester, the contents assessed for quality and usability, the jokes tested for belly laughs and how friendly the components are to the planet. Perhaps most importantly, we considered the design of each and how much festive luxury they can bring to our tables. These are the ones that will give you bang for your buck.
We knew that our best buy would be a box of top-quality crackers with gifts for all the family without being hideously expensive. That’s why the Harvey Nichols go crackers are our top pick. A few swapsies might be needed at the table after they’ve been pulled, but we are confident these crackers have a gift that will please everyone.
If you want this year to be the last that you buy single-use crackers, you can do no better than buying Kaneo Celebrations’ reusable luxury crackers. The quality is exceptional, the designs fun, and we can see these being passed down through generations like vintage Christmas decorations. They’re also excellent value for money.
For thoughtul gift ideas, read our roundups of the best gifts for sisters and Christmas presents for Grandma – that you might just want to keep for yourself