Random questions.

World Market has Christmas crackers, but they're kind of pricey for a tube with a paper hat and a stupid joke. I do like to get them when they're on clearance after Christmas, though!


No, those aren't quite the same. Those are little things and you pull the string and confetti streamers fly out.


Christmas Cracker



Party Popper

So I got to page 3 before I realized a Christmas cracker is in fact not a cracker. As in food.

I thought we were talking about crackers being a staple at Christmas dinner!

Erm, me too :rofl1:. Still not sure on pantomimes? It's a play? We have religious plays of the 'manger' scene. And we have ballets like the Nutcracker.

I thought we were talking about food too!! :rofl1:

Ummm, we do Christmas crackers?? They aren't like a big deal but we usually have some lying around.

I never go to weddings, so idk about those.

Don't have Christmas crackers, although our family has been known to don reindeer antlers and blinking noses, and bad jokes are a staple around here all year...

I do know what pantomimes are, and no, don't do that either...

Also thought "Christmas Crackers" were food...

No, party poppers is what we call Christmas Crackers here. Because two people have to pull them and make them "pop."

Well... I'm genuinely shocked lol!!

Crackers are a must at EVERY Christmas meal. I even have them on my tree!!!

And a pantomime is a comedy play for kids, with lots of adult humor, based on a fairytale!!! Jack and the bean stalk, Cinderella, snow white etc etc!! There's usually a man in drag who plays the fairy god mother, and there's always the same jokes. There's LOTS of audience participation. You have to shout out!!

I haven't been to one for years, but they are an integral part of every child's Christmas!!!!




As for weddings, a dry wedding sounds HORRIFIC!!! We don't have cocktail hour though!!

The first dance is nearly always after food, speeches and when music starts up.

And that entrance makes me a bit sick in my mouth and my other half cringe lol. Not seen it here...!!! They announce the couple and they just walk on in

We call them Christmas crackers as well, we don't always get them, but I do have a set that is some sort of an elf racing game lmao.

IME, the cocktail hour is usually the time between the wedding and the formal reception. It's when the wedding party is out doing their photos so everyone just gathers at the reception hall for finger foods and drinks until photos are done and the reception actually starts.

I've never seen the first dance take place before the meals and speeches.

My experience with weddings is just attending other peoples weddings though lol. We eloped. I love other peoples weddings but had little desire to plan my own haha.

Some people do it RIGHT after they walk in, before anything else happens. I think because they have everybody's attention then and want all eyes on them. The last wedding I was at, they did their first dance and stuff while we were all still eating our cake, so hardly anybody was paying any attention to the first dance and stuff that was happening. I have certainly known brides who would be bothered that people weren't paying them 100% attention during that moment.

Uhm...yeah...I didn't realize a Christmas cracker wasn't food until this post...so page 3 for me too.

I was wondering WTH hats and jokes had to do with crackers...:doh:

I definitely call christmas crackers, party poppers as well.

As a continuing experiment, I just asked my co-workers and they said they didn't know what a Christmas cracker was. But then I said "party popper?" and they were like "Oh yeah! Like at New Years!"
I asked them what they call the thing that they streamers come out and they said they knew what I meant, they don't know what it's called, but it's "not a party popper."


Also those who thought Christmas Crackers were food... DID YOU NEVER READ HARRY POTTER?? In the first book!! He gets a wizard chess set in his!!

I thought y'all were talking about crackers... like the food. Never seen a Christmas cracker before.

Well I shared my surprise that so many people round the world dont have crackers or pantos on facebook...

..and was told I need to get out more LOL

This is probably true, but its weird when you find out childhood institutions aren't world wide. Its like finding out father Christmas doesn't exist lol

I guess we do have crackers, I found these while shopping yesterday.

crackers by Summer_Papillon, on Flickr

I've never actually seen them used before though.