Eco-friendly Christmas crackers

Christmas crackers are a well known British tradition. They are simply made by wrapping a cardboard tube in brightly coloured paper or foil and make a snapping sound when pulled open. They usually contain a small gift, a silly joke, riddle or rhyme, and a paper hat fashioned like a crown. They are traditionally used as festive table decorations and pulled open before tucking into Christmas dinner.

A London confectioner named Tom Smith is believed to be the original inventor of the Christmas cracker. Following a trip to Paris, where children were given sugared almonds individually wrapped in twists of paper, he brought the idea back to his shop in Clerkenwell and began selling them in 1847. in 1849, he replaced the sweet with a toy, and in the 1850's he decided to add the 'snap' element, supposedly after being inspired by the sound of logs crackling on his fire.

Christmas crackers are usually placed on the table next to or above dinner plates to be pulled right before Christmas dinner begins. Some people like to put them on their Christmas trees as extra decorations, but really they can go anywhere you please!

Many Christmas crackers contain foil, glitter or plastic which means they cannot be recycled. However all RSPB crackers are plastic, foil and glitter free and so are the boxes, meaning the crackers and packaging can be fully recycled!