Christmas Crackers
 

Hi all -
We will be in London in 3 weeks, and then on to Paris and Vienna and back to London.

I'm looking forward to picking up some Christmas ornaments etc. while in each of these places.

I'm hoping Fodorites can give me some suggestions on where I might get some nice, interesting Christmas Crackers. We have them here in Canada but they usually contain pretty cheap plastic stuff as prizes. I was looking at the Fortnum & Mason site - their crackers look gorgeous but of course the prices are a bit painful.

Does anyone have any suggestions for where I might be able to get something a bit out of the ordinary but not too dear (not up in the £40 range)?

Marks and Spencers are prettty good (and you can untwist the cracker and put your own present in it - just remember to wear the paper hat - that's the important bit)

On another board I was suprised to discover that it's quite difficult to take crackers to the US - because of the explosive snaps in them. I don't know if that holds true for Canada.

Thanks - I will look in M&S. We no longer have them here and I miss them around the holidays.
Never thought of the snap problem and transport! I will have to investigate that. Or maybe just take out the snaps. I can always buy some in a craft store here and insert some later.

Yes, we always have to wear the hats! Have many photos of us doing dishes after Christmas dinner with those hats on....

Wej've bought crackers at Selfridges (large assortment), Fortnum and Mason, and Harrods.

Yes, you will have to deal with the snap problem. F&M makes crackers designed for export (no snap); I don't know if M&S offers the same.
If you want the snap, best to order some premium crackers online from somebody in Canada or the U.S. if they can be shipped up to Canada.

>>>>>
to discover that it's quite difficult to take crackers to the US - because of the explosive snaps in them. I don't know if that holds true for Canada.
>>>>>

a few years ago my partner took some crackers on a US bound flight with no problem.

i suspect that it matters not where you are going but just that the crackers contain explosives (albeit low levels). explosives are generally frowned upon when going through airport security, no matter the destination. i suspect that explosive detection equipment could pick up the "scent".

You can get very nice ones at F+M as well as Harrods...you can get VERY (think thousands, literally) expensive ones in those places, too.

The Harrods Christmas store is open year-round as I recall. Fortnum's was already open this past September when I was there.

LOL it took me a while reading through this thread until I realized that it wasn't about some kind of special holiday saltines :)

What about packing the crackers in checked luggage?

Here's another possibility--I've ordered crackers from this U.S. firm in the past.

http://www.oldenglishcrackers.com/

Thanks for all the suggestions!

Underhill, that site has quite a variety!

All in all it doesn't look like I'll find something too different to what we already have here in Canada... I usually find our selection a bit cheesy in the prize department, but maybe that's the whole appeal of the cracker. I guess it's all down to what a person is willing to pay! I'll let you all know if I settle on anything.

I like being able to view the contents of the crackers.

I agree with Underhill. When I saw the ones in Harrods which were priced WAAAY up there I wondered what could possibly be inside them!

I'm pretty sure that lighters and matches are not allowed in checked luggage (or in hand luggage). The snaps may be viewed similarly to matches?

>>>>>
I'm pretty sure that lighters and matches are not allowed in checked luggage (or in hand luggage). The snaps may be viewed similarly to matches?
>>>>>

i believe that crackers contain a small gunpowder charge while matches do not. with the expanded security in airports and new explosive detection equipment, i think anyone would be stupid to try to carry them through airport security (even though i, and countless others may have done this successfully). not worth subjecting yourselves to the potential hassles that a positive explosive detection reading can bring.

where's spygirl when we need her (never thought i'd be saying that).

WH Smith always has a premium range with nice goodies inside. This year they've got two different designs for £20 for 6.

I'd also suggest Marks and Sparks.
Their most expensive ones are £25
If you go to http://www.marksandspencer.com/
and search under "crackers" you can see the range. They say what sort of gifts are in them.