Scented Christmas Crackers

One of my favorite ways to ring By Anna Krusinskiin the holidays is with Victorian-inspired “crackers” filled with little goodies. This year, I’m making them extra special by adding some natural festive fragrances. These party favors were designed to mimic French bon bons and are typically made from cardboard tubes wrapped with colorful paper and fringe. Each cracker is filled with an assortment of sweets or small gifts that are revealed when the parcel is pulled open. Victorian crackers were invented in 1847 by confectioner Tom Smith, but it wasn’t until 1861 that they became wildly popular, when he introduced their characteristic “snap.” As the story goes, Smith was sitting at his crackling fireside when a log popped, sparking a burst of inspiration. He was suddenly struck with the idea to add a snap to his crackers, which he later called “bangs of expectation.” Tom Smith & Co. later expanded its catalog to include an impressive array of novelties, such as a giant cracker measuring more than two feet, musical crackers and themed crackers for bachelors, spinsters and married couples. For Victorians, it was quite a treat to get a Christmas cracker, and what fun it must have been to pop one open and reveal the surprises hidden inside. To this day, crackers are relatively easy to find in stores, but you can also have fun making your own, filling them with your favorite sweets and gifts and even infusing them with a holiday fragrance.

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Supplies:

Essential oils (For the holidays, I use my Orange Spice scent, which can be found online at Willow & Birch Apothecary. It’s a festive blend of orange, clove and anise.) e Cotton ball e Paper towel or toilet paper tube (cut to 4 inches in length) e Wrapping paper (cut to 8 x 12 inches) e Card stock (two pieces, cut to 3 x 6.5 inches each) e Glue gun e Scissors e Ribbon e Small gift items

Directions:

1. The day before assembling your crackers, set aside a few moments to infuse your paper with your favorite scent blend. Add a few drops of essential oils to a cotton ball and place in a paper bag, along with your wrapping paper. (Be careful that the cotton ball does not touch the paper, as it can stain.) Close the bag and let sit for 24 hours, or until the fragrance has infused the paper. 2. To begin assembling, place wrapping paper face-down and lay the paper tube on the back of the wrapping paper, making sure the tube is centered along the length of the paper. Apply a small dab of glue to the middle of the tube and adhere on end of the paper. Roll the tube onto the paper and apply another dab of glue to adhere the other end of the paper, forming a rolled tube. 3. Roll cardstock into a cylinder slightly smaller than the cracker and insert into the end of the cracker until it’s even with the outer edge. Glue into place. Repeat for the other end. 4. Using your thumb and forefinger, gently crimp the end of the cracker between the tube and the rolled cardstock. Tie curling ribbon onto the crimped end, securing tightly while being careful not to tear the paper. 5. Insert gifts into the open end of the cracker. (To prevent small items from falling out, stuff the ends with a small amount of tissue paper.) Gift ideas include: festive messages or riddles, candies, toys or small beauty items such as lip balms and perfumes. 6. Repeat Step 4 for the open end of the cracker. Curl the ends of ribbons for the final decorative touch. 7. Crack5 ers are best when shared! 6 To open a cracker, each person grips one end, slowly pulling and twisting until the cracker tears, revealing the goodies 7 inside.