Monday, November 27, 2006

christmas crackers

Why O Why do you always get pieces of plastic in crackers that are good for nothing? This picture is of a few plastic items I recently got in a cracker. A plastic airplane (that doesn't fly), a plastic car (with wheels that don't go round), a plastic fish (that doesn't swim), a plastic angel (that doesn't sing), a plastic thimble (that barely fits on your finger) and finally a plastic ring (that once again barely fits). So what's the story? It just amazes me that you can get so many rubbish items in crackers, I don't think I could think of something so boring, un-creative and good for nothing to put in a cracker, that's if my job was the 'Put-as-many-pieces-of-plastic-rubbish-in-crackers- as-you-possibly-can' manager. But that being said, everyone loves to pull a cracker, it's the wondering who will win the end with all the surprises in, it's the bang it makes make you pull each end, it's the hat (that not everyone wears) the jokes (that are often very lame) and the wondering "I wonder what plastic piece of rubbish I shall get in this cracker?"

Even though I have been a little harsh towards the humble Christmas cracker, I will often be the first at the Christmas dinner table to pick up my cracker and pull it with the person next to me. It's fun, the anticipation kills me (slight exaggeration) and it's just part of what we do on Christmas day.

What are some of the best and worst things you have got in your crackers?

12 comments:

Tracy said...

I have never heard of a cracker in this sense. I thought you meant the crackers that you eat with soup at first.

Priscilla said...

I don't understand either. Sorry...I can't contribute. Must be an Australian/English thing that we Americans are clueless about.

Priscilla said...

When exactly do you go to England for Christmas?

Nixter said...

a cracker looks like this. Two people pull, one at each end,there is a little bang. The person who gets the full end wins a paper hat, a bad joke and a bad plastic toy thingy. Must be an Aussie/English thing.

Nixter said...

I leave two weeks on Friday - woo hoot!

Good to see you on the blogs Priscilla - hope your arm is getting better :)

Andy M said...

We had Christmas dinner one year with an American friend of my sister-in-law present. She thought our use of Christmas crackers, including putting the paper crowns contained inside onto our heads, was hilarious! She was taking lots of photos to send home to her parents!!

We also had her laughing over the Aussie custom of getting underpants every year for Christmas!!

Nixter said...

That's funny Andy :)

Andy M said...

It got even funnier. We tried to tell her there was also a tradition of wearing the new underpants on your head, just like the paper crowns out of the crackers, and she got photos of us doing so to send back to her family in the States!!

The other funny part was that, having arrived without presents for the American girl and her Aussie husband (who were unexpected guests) my wife and I hurriedly put together a present for each of them by opening up the new packets of underpants we had each received earlier that day from my mother, and wrapping up one pair for him and one for her. We gave them to them, and later overheard her saying to him "Wasn't that nice that they thought of us and got us a present!"

It's one of my favourite Christmas stories!

Tracy said...

Do you have to wrap them or build them yourself as it is indicated in the picture?

Is that really an Aussie tradition to give underpants for Christmas? Because that was always a traditional gift in our family. As we got older, us kids tried to anticipate which package contained the undies and name it without opening it and having to show to everyone else.

Nixter said...

Andy that made me really really laugh.

Tracy, I have always received underpants for Christmas, this year I am banking on some M&S undies (UK Super underpants)..

Ruth said...

My mum makes her own Chrissie crackers - and she puts really cool stuff inside.. I think we still get the tacky crowns (which are always too small for us whoppin Jensen noggins!)...but we force them onto our heads anyway!

(privately - between you and me nixter - I actually like the cracker jokes)

Priscilla said...

Boo! I couldn't get the link to work. It sounds like fun though. I've given underpants before...but this year no one seems to need them. I always get my girls christmas socks...especially brightly colored and fun ones.