Poinsettia Christmas Cracker - 6 ct with holiday miniature ornaments

Crackers have been a traditional part of British Christmas festivities and other celebrations since Victorian times. The most widely accepted story is that they were invented in the mid-1840’s by a London pastry cook named Tom Smith, who came upon the idea while on a trip to Paris where he witnessed the French holiday custom of wrapping sugared almonds and other sweets in a twist of colored paper. Smith included a romantic message in his early crackers which he marketed in Britain as “Kiss Mottoes”. However, the product enjoyed only limited success until Smith devised a way to make the cracker “pop” when pulled apart. For more information on the history of crackers see a book by Peter Kimpton titled, “Christmas Crackers – Tom Smith’s Magical Invention.”