Christmas Crackers using Jolly Holiday designer paper

We haven't bought crackers this year. We had a family discussion about this and came to these conclusions:
1. We only wear the hats for a couple of minutes until they break
2. The novelty gifts aren't much fun and clutter up the house until they finally go in the bin
3. The thing we love about them is that they contain those brilliantly corny jokes

After this discussion we decided to make our own. They wouldn't have a 'bang', which didn't worry us, but they would contain several Christmas jokes which we will look forward to sharing over Christmas lunch!
Here's what we came up with:

These are mini crackers which, as well as being a happy addition to the festive table, could work well as a tree decoration or as a gift wrap for something small (wrap it in tissue paper first). They're quick and easy to make and, because you get 8 crackers out of a single piece of designer paper, they are extremely economical! Christmas jokes are readily available on the internet (or you could just make up your own!) and I just printed mine onto copier paper and cut them up with my trimmer.

If you fancy making some, here's how:

Take a piece of designer paper 3 inches x 6 inches.

Fold it in half, then fold the edges back so that you end up with an M shape like this:

Make lots of snips about a quarter of an inch in on the two edges that form the top of the M shape like this...

... until you end up with this!

Roll the paper gently to start the cracker shape and add Sticky Strip to one side, avoiding the snipped areas. Now is the time to pop your joke inside!

Here's what it should look like now:

Now take a piece of linen thread and tie it around one of the snipped areas.

Pull it tight and it will pull the cracker in and form a 'waist'. Take the thread off, turn the cracker over and repeat this step to get an even 'waist'. Now do the same to the other end of the cracker. Remove the linen thread.

Now your cracker should look like this and it's ready to decorate!

I decorated mine with 1/8" taffeta ribbon and the Merry Christmas from the Occasional Greetings stamp set, which I cut out with paper snips.

Don't they look festive!

My youngest son is really embracing the Christmas cracker joke this year and every time I see him he hits me with another one:
"How do snowmen get around Mummy?"
"Hmm. I'm not sure sweetheart..."
"They ride icicles!" The punchline is followed by gales of hysterical laughter! I keep telling him that if he carries on at this rate he'll run out of jokes by Christmas! (But, you know, I don't think he will...)

Thanks for visiting me today - I really appreciate it, particularly when everyone is so busy.
It's Three Minute Thursday tomorrow and I'll be back with an idea for super-fast thank you card.
Hope to see you then,