I’ve been thinking about how I can make Christmas at home more sustainable and less wasteful. I don’t want to take all the fun out of Christmas but for me, that’s meant making more considered choices rather than panic buying, foraging for greenery to make decorations, choosing plastic-free gifts and using paper or fabric I already have to wrap them.
But one obvious step is cutting out anything that’s single-use. Did you know that over 40 million crackers go to waste on Christmas Day? Pulled, torn apart, then thrown into the bin, and most likely sent to landfill if they’re not recycled properly. There’s the short burst of excitement as the cracker snaps and then inevitably the disappointment of a rubbish joke, another pack of cards, a set of tweezers or mini pack of screwdrivers that you don’t really need…
I love the tradition of Christmas crackers and the added festive touch they bring to the Christmas dinner table. But what if we saw them not as a cheap thrill, but something to bring out each year and cherish each time. Sustainable Christmas crackers are easy to make, and you can use them again and again!
[disclosure: this post features products that have been sent to me as press gifts – the black plates and tablecloth (no longer available) from Arket]
Here’s how to make your own sustainable Christmas crackers:
You’ll need:
– a cardboard toilet roll
– a small length of fabric (I had some leftover off-cuts from the striped linen I used to make our wedding napkins!)
– double sided tape
– scissors
– string, twine or ribbon to secure each end of the cracker
– some treats to put inside your cracker! Suggestions include: chocolates, jokes written onto small pieces of paper, paper hats, any mini toiletries you have from hotel stays, a mini bottle of gin, etc.
How to:
– Cut your pieces of fabric to size by measuring a square around your cardboard toilet roll. The size of the fabric square will largely depend on the size of your toilet roll, you want it to be able to wrap around the cylinder and have about 5cm excess fabric at each end. I just cut the fabric by eye – I didn’t need to be too accurate as I wasn’t sewing a seam but leaving the ends to fray slightly
– Fill the cardboard toilet roll with your choice of treats for guests
– Cut a strip of double sided tape and secure to one edge of the fabric. If you wanted to be more eco-conscious and have a sewing machine to hand, you could sew the fabric together to make the cover that goes over the cardboard toilet roll
– Wrap the fabric around the stuffed toilet roll and stick in place using the double sided tape
– Tie each end of the toilet roll with your choice of twine or ribbon, trim the ends of the fabric if you need to, et voilà!
– Optional extra: a little sprig of greenery to decorate! You could also tie a dried orange segment or cinnamon stick around the middle with a piece of twine.
And that’s it – it couldn’t be simpler! They’re so easy to make, I don’t know why I didn’t do them before. There’s no snap or bang like traditional crackers (which some pets might not like), but instead you get a much more considered surprise on each table setting. Think of it more like an extra little present for each guest than something you’ll laugh about then quickly forget and throw away later. You could even personalise each one and choose something different for inside each cracker. Your Christmas dinner table will look simple and stylish, and your guests will really appreciate the love, care and thought that went into making them.
Plus you can reuse them again next year, saving the fabric and toilet roll holder within it. If you wanted to give them a new look you could use a different ribbon to tie the ends.
What do you think? Will you be giving sustainable Christmas crackers a go and making your own this year? What would you put inside yours? Let me know how you get on, I’d love to see them!
