Why do we do it? Every December 25th, regardless of age, we turn to the person sitting next to us (usually between the smoked salmon and big bird) and proceed with an awkward tug of war. Too close to pull properly. Too many wine glasses to dodge in between. And for what? A little pop, some boring trivia and the worst jokes under the sun?
Well you can thank Londoner, Tom Smith, for all this chaos. The Clerkenwell baker is the man behind the “Big Crack”, which was pulled for the first time back in 1847.
Seven years before, Smith discovered the “bon-bon,” a sugared almond wrapped in a twist of paper in Paris. On his return to London this new sweet became a bestseller. Marketing research informed the sweet dealer that young men were giving the candy to their better halves. He then began adding little love notes within the sweet wrapping.
Then in 1846, while sitting at his expensive fireplace that he purchased from the success of his sweet empire, a crackle of a log inspired him to create the cracker. A few burnt hairs and chairs later he finally perfected the festive cracker. He pasted small strips of saltpeter to two strips of thin card. As the cards were pulled away from each other, the friction created a crack and a spark. (The concept is still used today.)
By 1947, Tom Smith’s crack had customers hooked. Primarily, they were known as “Cosaques” This term came from the cracking of the Cossack’s whips as they rode through Paris during the Franco-Prussian wars. However, a decade later Christmas Crackers became the proper name known among the masses.
By the dawn of the 20th century, Smith had created diverse designs and sold more than 13 million crackers. In the thirties, the contents within the cracker became more awkward and complex. Crackers would feature brooches, watches, bracelets and other jewelery.
And of course there were some lawbreakers who took the crack too far. In early Victorian times, Twelfth Night was officially banned as being too rowdy because of the excessive use of crackers.
Today, the police might not be called, but you might catch a teenager roll their eyes at the tradition or an aging uncle attempt to try and prove their strength, knocking over a few glasses and candles as he does so with that manic look in his eyes.
