Christmas crackers or bon-bons are an integral part of Christmas celebrations in the United Kingdom and Commonwealth countries such as Australia, Canada, New Zealand and South Africa. They are also popular in Ireland. A cracker consists of a cardboard tube wrapped in a brightly decorated twist of paper, making it resemble an oversized sweet-wrapper. The cracker is pulled by two people and much in the manner of a wishbone, the cracker splits unevenly. The split is accompanied by a small bang produced by the effect of friction on a chemically impregnated card strip (similar to that used in a cap gun).
Crackers are also a part of New Year celebrations in Russia (where they are called "хлопушка") and some countries of the former Soviet Union. Those are however more similar to pyrotechnical devices, normally used outdoors, activated by one person, and produce a stronger bang accompanied by fire and smoke.
In one version of the tradition the person with the larger portion of cracker empties the contents from the tube and keeps them. In another each person will have their own cracker and will keep its contents regardless of whose end they were in. Typically these contents are a coloured paper hat or crown; a small toy or other trinket and a motto, a joke or piece of trivia on a small strip of paper. Crackers are often pulled before or after Christmas dinners or at parties.
Assembled crackers are typically sold in boxes of three to twelve. These typically have different designs usually with red, green and gold colours.
We had to go out and do some food shopping at the last minute anyway, so off we went worrying about where we could find the last minute Christmas crackers.
The supermarket had none left and so we went to Shoppers Drug Mart. They were out but suggested a place way too far away to be practical. Next we tried the Dollar Store but they had none left either. My wife and daughter remembered that Chapters, the book store, had some, and off we went. My wife went in while we waited in the car and they still had some. Probably they had them because they were so expensive to start. However, being so late in the season, they were 30% off. I did complain about the price of course, but it was never going to change anything. You can’t change this horse from the way it is going.
My wife was very excited to score such a find at this late date.
So here it was Boxing Day morning (December 26 if you don’t know what Boxing Day is) and we were all having breakfast together when my wife remembered how nice it would have been if someone had remembered to take out the Crackers on Christmas!
I suggested returning the box but I knew that was a waste. So last night, at our Chinese carry-out dinner, we wore paper hats and read silly fortunes and played with dumb little toys and developed the new tradition of Boxing Day Crackers!
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