03 Sep 10 Christmas Crackers
This article has been written to shed light on one of the most popular, one of the most essential and at the same time, one of the most unnoticed of Christmas decorations, the humble Christmas cracker.
Thomas J Smith was a sweet maker, baker and pastry chef from London, England. The Christmas Crackers we know today are a direct descendant of his almond sweets, which at the time were sold wrapped in a paper, twisted at either end. Unfortunately for Tom, sweet sales declined and so he set about new ways to new encourage sales of his products.
Tom originally tried to promote sales by slipping pieces of paper into the wrappers, much like a fortune cookies, however this did not impact positively on sales. The first modern incarnation of the cracker containing a 'cracking' sound was finally developed when Tom was watching a log burning in his fireplace; the resulting crackle inspired Tom to replicate this in his sweets.
Tom improved the design by adding two strips of thin cardboard and adding some gunpowder to the ends. When they were pulled, they produced the crack and in the early days, also produced a small spark. This was the break through he was looking for. Things then moved on quickly, he increased the size of the wrapping to incorporate the banger mechanism; eventually the sweet was dropped altogether and replaced by a small wooden gift.
Tom originally named his invention a 'cosaque', this was because the bang or cracking sound reminded him of the sound of a Cossack whip. His invention grew in popularity, eventually becoming known as the Christmas cracker. As awareness and subsequent popularity of the product grew, so did Toms business, eventually leading him to open a dedicated factory to keep up with the demand.
Christmas crackers were in so much demand that competitors tried many different things to make their brand stand out. This included designer wrappers that were intricately hand painted and drew more attention than the original Tom Smith Christmas crackers. They began being sold by the box, popular sizes containing half dozen and one dozen packs that came in cute matching boxes.
Tom's legacy has seen the the Christmas cracker develop into a truly global business, with literally billions of crackers produced each year. The designs of which are still very similar Tom's original concept. However modern innovation sees the Christmas cracker in many different varieties, from Eco friendly Christmas crackers to crackers designed around a particular theme to crackers that are developed for wedding, birthdays and many other celebrations around the world.
Paul Myers provides articles on behalf of the Christmas Tree Company, the official website of the Christmas Tree Company Online Ltd, a provider of premium quality Christmas Crackers and Luxury Christmas Crackers. The company is located in the North West of England and delivers nationwide.
Tags: Christmas, christmas crackers, christmas decoration, christmas trees, cracker, decoration, Family, festive, gifts, home, home improvement, Presents, Product Reviews, xmas
