On the 8th day of christmas...

...crackers!...

Crackers from shops these days are awful. They are usually all foily and garish, the gifts are crappy and the jokes are so boring they must be written by school careers advisers ...so this year I've decided to make my own.

Ingredients:
1 packet of the cheapest crackers you can find (to dismantle)
Cardboard toilet roll tubes
Tissue paper
Plain or coloured A4 paper
Gifts
Jokes (ours are compiled by Tom and thus too rude to publish)

Step 1:
Dismantle the bought crackers and keep the long 'cracker' strip from inside as well as the paper hat. Throw the rest away! Print out or write your jokes onto long strips of paper and make sure your gifts fit in the tube.

Step 2:
Write the person's name or 'Merry Christmas' or 'Happy Birthday Jesus' or whatever in the centre of the A4 paper. I used stamps to print each name.

Step 3:
Roll the A4 paper up into a long tube then squash it flat, just on the end

Step 4:
Cut a scalloped edge on the folded end, when you unravel it it will create a repeat pattern, like making a strip of paper dollies.

Step 5:
thread the cracker strip through the tube and fasten it with tape at either end of the back side of the A4 paper (the side that will end up inside of the cracker).

Step 6:
Place the tissue paper on top and roll the whole thing up like a burrito. Mmm burritos.....

Step 7:
Tie one end with string and stuff the presents, hats and jokes into the other end then tie the second end as well.

Step 8:
Cover the sting with some coloured ribbon, wool or braiding. It works well if it matched the colour of the tissue paper. I've used a more manly colour scheme for the boys...

Voila! Home made crackers.