Looking for an easy new tradition to add to your Christmas celebrations? In England, Christmas Crackers — tubes with paper hats, riddles, treats and small toys — are an important part of any Christmas party. Crackers are easily found all over the UK, but here in America they are pretty scarce. So we make our own!

To make your own crackers will need:

toilet paper tubes (1 per person)

wrapping paper, newspaper or tissue paper

string or yarn

riddles, paper hats, small toys or candy (to fill the crackers)

Make your paper hats (instructions here) and have each child write a riddle or joke on a slip of paper.

Roll the hat up so it will fit in the TP tube and place the riddle and small toys or candies inside the tube.

Wrap each tube in wrapping paper or crepe paper, leaving long ends tied off with string to make the handles for pulling the cracker.

On Christmas Eve, everyone gets a cracker (not the one they made) and pulls it with a friend to reveal the goodies inside. You tell each other the jokes and wear the paper hats for the rest of the evening.

Real crackers make a loud bang when they are opened (this is why they are called crackers) but these ones don’t. In our house, we solve this problem by yelling BANG when we pull them, ala the brilliant British comedy The Good Life.

Happy Christmas!

Want more ideas? Check out the Highchair Travelers Pinterest Page and our collection of Christmas Traditions from Around the World.