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Crackers/Bonbons

I've seen some feeble little things here and there, but they're really a pretty certain waste of one's money. They would most likely be found in the same department where cocktail napkins and those tiny paper umbrellas for drinks are kept. (The paper umbrellas would be a better value for the money -- at least they're amusing.) :p
 
Kookamoor said:
I have a friend from Maine who tells me that she can't purchase Christmas crackers/bonbons down in the US. Is this true?!? I never realised this was a predominantly British tradition.

Can you southerners please confirm this?
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Americans don't have Christmas crackers and don't seem to know what they are, in my experience. I have had to explain what they are many a time.
 
I have never heard of Christmas Crackers. Learn something new every day as I looked them up on Kook's WIKI site.
 
The only reason I didn't have to look them up is thanks to some very dear British friends who used to live here. Christmas shopping with Angie was an education! I sure miss her and her family:(
 
Hey! I know what those are, and there is a store right near my house that sells really nice ones. I bought some last year because we had Christmas at work. Thought it would be fun, and it was. I'm doing the same this year.
 
I can't believe that you don't have Christmas crackers! Imagine missing out on those quality hats and fabulous jokes to be found inside :D
 
MonkeyCatcher said:
I can't believe that you don't have Christmas crackers! Imagine missing out on those quality hats and fabulous jokes to be found inside :D
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Never mind the hats and jokes - it's the useless plastic gifts that I look forward to. The best part is actually figuring out what in the blazes they're meant to be!
 
CDA said:
Never mind the hats and jokes - it's the useless plastic gifts that I look forward to. The best part is actually figuring out what in the blazes they're meant to be!
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Yup! And then throwing them out with the wrapping paper because they're crap! We had a couple of good 'years' in my family. One year all the toys were these gold-coloured charms, which we threaded onto a braclet (I was a kid at the time), and another year they were these glass-looking plastic animals which were actually kind of neat. I always liked the ones with puzzles too!

My traditional extended family christmas always has crackers on both sides. They get pulled while we're eating the main big lunch. Over the duration of the meal we all end up looking ridiculous in the paper hats and telling corny jokes - the cornier the better! Then at the dinner celebration with the other half of the family we see how many jokes are the same as the ones at lunch time :D . Oh, and we fob the toys off on the youngest cousins in the family because they love 'em, no matter how crappy they are!
 
Wow, I can't imagine not having Christmas crackers at the dinner table.

How can you eat your Christmas dinner without the obligatory paper hat (if you're really lucky you might get one with a shiny half) and telling dodgy jokes.

And then there's the mini screwdriver set!
 
I heard another funny, related story today about how American Christmas traditions differ from others. My colleague married a French man and the first time they went to France to visit his family over Christmas, she bought a bunch of gifts for everyone in his family. He tried to tell her not to, saying that they (along with most of the rest of France) don't really do gifts over Christmas, but she ignored him and brought all the gifts anyway. Lo and behold, Christmas morning she caused a total uproar because nobody had anything for her, and they all had to go out and scramble around for something to give her in return... it ended up being a HUGE faux pas on her part, and they were all mad at her. Should have listened to her better half there!
 
I still love getting one with a Fortune Telling Fish that you place in the palm of your hand, thats my favourite. :)
 
I just saw a package of "Colorful Holiday Crackers" at Crate & Barrel (on the lowest shelf in a low-traffic area).
 
MonkeyCatcher said:
Oh, I got one of those last year. They're so fun aren't they :D
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It's becoming clear to me that I need to invest in better crackers! What's a fortune telling fish??
 
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