Christmas crackers—also known as bon-bons—are part of Christmas celebrations primarily in the United Kingdom, Ireland and Commonwealth countries such as Australia, Canada, New Zealand and South Africa. They aren't seen commonly in the United States. A cracker consists of a cardboard tube wrapped in a brightly decorated twist of paper with a prize in the central chamber, making it resemble an oversized sweet-wrapper. The cracker is pulled by two people, which causes the cracker to split unevenly, with one person holding the centre chamber of the cracker where the prizes are contained. The split is accompanied by a mild bang or snapping sound produced by the effect of friction on a shock-sensitive, chemically-impregnated card strip (similar to that used in a cap gun). One chemical used for the friction strip is silver fulminate, which is highly unstable.
Assembled crackers are typically sold in boxes of three to twelve. These typically have different designs usually with red, green and gold colours. Making crackers from scratch using tissue paper and the tubes from toilet rolls is a common activity for children.
The following is a list of episodes for the British sitcomAre You Being Served? that aired from 1972 to 1985. All episodes were 30 minutes long. There was a film in 1977, also entitled Are You Being Served?. While all episodes were in colour, the pilot had originally survived only in black-and-white as a film transfer from the original colour source, however it was restored into colour using the Chroma dots computer colour restoration technique, and was aired on BBC Two on 1 January 2010.
Series overview
All Ten Series, including both the black & white and colour versions of the pilot episode and all five Christmas specials from those years, are now available on DVD in the UK (Region 2). Are You Being Served: the Movie was released in 2002.
All ten series, as well as both series of Grace & Favour (in packaging titled Are You Being Served? Again!) and the film are available on DVD in Region 1 (North America).
All ten series, as well as both series of Grace & Favour (under the original title) and the film have been released in Australia (Region 4).
"Christmas Crackers" is the first Christmas special episode of the BBCsit-com, Only Fools and Horses, first screened on 28 December 1981, three days after Christmas. It is the first episode to run over 30 minutes, but not the first feature-length.
Synopsis
It's Christmas Day and Grandad is cooking the dinner while Rodney is reading a book on body language which Mickey Pearce has lent him. Del returns and gives Grandad a Christmas present (a £20 note), however Grandad tells Del that he hasn't got him a present this year as "I don't believe in the commercialisation of a Christian festival." Rodney is worried about Grandad's cooking, and suggests to Del that they go on a hunger strike to get out of eating it, but Del refuses, saying that it is Grandad's role to cook the dinner, it makes him feel as though he is needed in the family.
A little later, Del Boy, Rodney and Grandad sit down to Christmas dinner. Del is horrified to discover that the bird is undercooked and still contains the melted bag of giblets stuffed inside along with the sage and onion stuffing. Christmas Pudding is no better, which Grandad has literally burnt to a cinder.
For some people, the monarch’s Christmas speech is a kind of comforting festive tradition, as much a part of Christmas Day as wearing silly festive jumpers and pulling Christmas crackers.
Earlier this month, Max revealed he was spending Christmas in hospital ... And in the final photo, Max was tucked up in bed with Maisie who was still wearing a red paper crown from her Christmas cracker.
This year's fixtures Premier League promise more exciting action on the day after Christmas...It’s a picture of the manager, Billy McNeill, pulling a giant Christmas cracker with his assistant, Jimmy Frizzell ... What a Christmas that was in 1983.
Tis time to jettison that Christmas cracker crown and don the Hardcastle thinking cap, fire up the brain cells and tackle the first part of the annual quiz of what the stars said, as quoted by Effy, in 2024. Second instalment tomorrow ... Who was it? ... .
Etiquette expert William Hanson said that crackers should not be pulled at the end of Christmas lunch and warned about the dangers festive photos on social media ... .
William Hanson has suggested that we are all pulling crackers the wrong way as he explained that they should never be pulled at the end of a meal ... .
Christmas is finally here and there's no doubt most households will be celebrating the occasion with a cracker (or two). But have you been opening your Christmas cracker correctly? ... .
Prince Louis looked clearly thrilled as he was all grinning after getting presents from the public, which included a variety of stuffed toys, Christmas crackers, flowers, and a box of Cadbury's chocolates.
... during their Christmas day special ... The clip began with Cat and Ben sat in their dressing room and pulling apart a cracker while Mariah Carey's All I Want for Christmas Is You plays in the background.
The award-winning Christmas market in Carmel is underway again! See inside this year's version with IndyStar's Madyson Crane... Is Starbucks open on Christmas? ... 25, the company confirmed to USA TODAY.Is CrackerBarrel open on Christmas?.
Pip also shared a photograph of them both wearing their paper crowns from their Christmas crackers as they got in the festive spirit ... from their Christmas crackers as they got in the festive spirit.
I am writing this on Christmas Eve – a brief moment to myself, while the family mill around upstairs, sorting out the bedding ... My daughter’s tribe had a shorter trip from Norwich and we will be 11 round at the Christmas dinner table ... It’s Christmas!.
Intrepid swimmers across the nation have braved the chilly waters as they celebrate Christmas Day with a festive plunge ...Swimmers donning reindeer, christmas tree, christmas cracker and elf costumes were seen in the chilly waters.
