The festive season is here again, and everyone is head-over-heels about it. We love everything Christmas has to offer- the snow, the decorations, the heart-warming carols. And once family and friends gather for that jolly day, giving becomes second nature. Every year though, we usually come across one challenge, and it usually presents itself it the most unexpected of places; Christmas crackers.
These fun-filled, traditional additions to Christmas dinner tables are well-renowned for keeping guests interested and entertained. As such, we always go out of our way to come up with new ideas for them every year. But brainstorming such stuff can be hard. This year, I have compiled a list of evergreen ideas you can use to fill up Christmas crackers. And the best part is, there’s something for everyone; even Grandma!
Table of Contents
Top Ideas for Items to Put in Christmas Crackers UK
1. Themed Badges
You can make badges with coordinated ideas to create a themed party. It could be based on anything; film, books, or even time. For the latter, just make sure the granddads and grand mums get the vintage badges, while the kids get the millennial ones.
2. Customized Key Rings
The best thing about this idea is you can personalize it with anything you want. It could be a short poem or a line from their favourite book. The easiest, of course, is their names, and in the case of kids, their favourite superhero.
3. Nativity Figurines
This idea gives room for even more excitement, especially if the family has already debated over who plays Herod or Mary. Each cracker will contain a figurine representing each character from the bible story. Whoever picks it gets to play that character in dress-up.
4. Jokes
An idea that never wears out, the dinner table is sure to fill up with chuckles and snickering when you use this. Just make sure the jokes are unique, easy to get, and downright hilarious. To keep up with the festive spirit, you could also make sure they all contain Christmas jokes.
5. Set of Moustaches
An out-of-the-box idea that is sure to get everyone laughing. Each person gets a detachable moustache in their cracker and has to wear them all day until the party is over. To get more hoots out of the dinner members, add some mutton chops to some boxes.
6. Lottery Tickets
If you have a local lottery in your neighbourhood, you could purchase a bunch of tickets and split them into various Christmas crackers for your guests. Of course, not everyone will be lucky, so to make it more considerate, you can add book stickers or consumables as well.
7. Challenge Notes
With this, everyone gets involved in the activities, and no one feels left out. You can dig up so many ideas to get people talking or doing silly stuff that gets everyone laughing. You could make someone rap a popular Christmas hymn, have them do an impersonation, or even include dares.
8. Customized Ornaments
Customizable ornaments are available in stores all around. You could get the plastic baubles and put family photos in them. You could make wooden ornaments and stick childhood pictures of each of your siblings to them. Or you could just get their names or initials customized on it instead.
10. Charade Notes
Charades are fun, so having Christmas crackers with notes for such is also a good idea. There are tons of charade ideas you can select from, and many are even Christmas-themed. You could even pick ideas from popular Christmas film like Jingle Bells, and Home Alone.
11. Mini Soaps
The adults will most likely appreciate this idea, as it is both sensitive and considerate. You could also make sure the soaps are scented, and even get one with a fragrance favoured specifically by each person.
12. Love Notes
This is a go-simple yet the heart-warming idea that works in every situation. Let your inner poet be channelled as you compose touching lines for each member of your guest list. And if you find it difficult to think up, you can always outsource online for heartfelt messages to use.
13. Party Masks
This idea creates a more festive environment, and also adds a certain level of hype to the party. Make sure each mask is unique, so the person feels special on this special day. You could also have it synchronized, so different groups wear different colours and designs.
14. Fridge Magnets
This option is another easy-fix that your guests will truly appreciate. The best thing about fridge magnets is that they come in a wide array of designs to choose from and see an all-year-round use. You can make it themed, or purchase designs with funny quotes, images or illustrations.
15. Mini Lotions
Everyone needs a moisturizer kit to be within their reach, even the men. And this option is faster, especially if you run on a last-minute basis. Regardless, a small bottle of great-scenting lotion brings a smile to the face of anyone who has it.
16. Toys
Kids are not left out of Christmas cracker options, and of course, toys are one of the best ways to go in their cases. You can choose from a range of options like balloons, confetti makers and party blowers. You could also genderize the toys like including matchbox cars and firecrackers for boys, and mini dolls and plastic hairpins for girls.
17. Sweets & Chocolates
You can keep the family munching away after dinner by filling up the Christmas crackers with sweeties. While this may seem like a more appropriate option for children, adults are not left out. You can include chocolates of all kinds for the grown-ups, and for the elderly, a couple of sugar-free toffees.
18. Mini Spirits
With this option, you stand the chance of kicking the party up a notch, especially when you have more young adults in the house. There are lots of mini bottles of rum, whisky, gin, brandy, and even vodka available for sale. If you use this suggestion, just make sure only the grown-ups get these in their crackers.
19. Trivia Quizzes
This idea is a sure way of keeping people talking and enthusiastic at the gathering. To make it more interesting, you get each person to open their crackers at a go, and then answer the question in their quiz card. The quizzes could be based on anything; even funny family stories and hilarious secrets.
20. Makeup
Women and girls especially will love this idea, and there are lots of mini makeup kits available on every market and store around you. Shop for them, and you will find mini face powders, eye shadows, blush kits, lipsticks and even mascara.
21. Customized Pens and Pencils
If you have the luxury, you could make personalized stationery for each member of your Christmas party or dinner. You could make customized fountain pens for the men, ballpoints for the women, and pencils for the children. Not only is this an impressive idea but is a thoughtful one as well.
