Okay, so that’s a bit of an exaggeration. It should read, home altered crackers.
I really love crackers, I think they just make the Christmas dinner table, and distinguish it from just another meal. But I also really find them quite unsatisfying. Like a big bang with no real hoorah.
I mean, who really needs another set of nail clippers, a plastic whistle, or a shoe horn?
When I was in school, we used to make Christmas crackers, and sell them for fundraising, but I just don’t have the time at the moment to make them from scratch, (we don’t even have a tree yet!) so I’ve cheated a little.
I bought some sturdy crackers, untied one end, and carefully opened it making sure 
not to explode the banger. I emptied out all the contents on to the table and then replaced the hat, because they’re always good for a laugh.
The lame jokes were replaced by charades cards, which should add to the laughter around our dinner table, and I added two Father Christmas chocolates to each cracker.
I removed the gifts – a miniature card set, toenail clipper, plastic lock and key and a weird metal thing I still haven’t figured out – and instead popped in a chocolate shaped magnet and gifts appropriate for the people the crackers will be for.
For my husband, an avid reader, I have put in a metal bookmark which he should like.
For my sister I have put in something I thought was quite unique, a Wishpearl. It’s an oyster that comes in water, with a little knife thing to open the oyster and remove the pearl. It comes with a necklace and a little cage pendant which the pearl is then placed inside. I really liked it, so much so, I bought one for myself.
My sister’s boyfriend gets a solar powered light keyring, a bit of a boy-gadget, but he should like it!
My lovely husband will be putting a surprise gift in my cracker for me!
So, those are the crackers for our Christmas table.
I hope that everyone will like their hand picked gifts! (And I really hope they don’t read this post!)
