Best Christmas crackers 2019: from cheapest to luxury options
We look at the best in class for cheap, high-end, luxury, quirky, and environmentally-friendly crackers to make your Christmas go off with a bang.
Christmas crackers are a festive staple for most households – it just depends how much money you're willing to spend on them.
We’ve got a breakdown of every type of cracker you could need this year, with our pick of the best cheap, high-end, luxury, quirky, and environmentally-friendly crackers to cater for every budget.
Cheapest Christmas crackers 2019
Christmas Day is a costly affair, so you'll be forgiven for wanting to spend as little as possible on crackers.
Provided your guests won't be disappointed by some mini nail clippers or an odd plastic toy, it is possible to pay as little as 17p per cracker.
Here are our picks of the best cheap Christmas crackers.
Kevin & Family Christmas Crackers, £1.99 for 6, Aldi
Britain’s best-known carrot has hit the screens for the fourth year running as part of Aldi's Christmas advertising blitz and he's now available in cracker form.
These chirpy orange crackers come to 33p a piece and include all the classic contents, as well as a carrot-themed board game.
Luxury Blue and Gold crackers, £2 for 6, Poundland
Cheap and cheerful sums up Poundland’s cracker offering this year.
For 33p per cracker, these are a budget-friendly and fun addition to any Christmas table.
Silver White Christmas crackers, £3.49 for 10, The Range
The Range’s Silver White Christmas crackers will add a little bit of sparkle to the dinner table without denting your bank account at only 35p per cracker.
All crackers are fully equipped with a hat, toy and joke for celebrating Christmas in the typical fashion.
Mini Christmas Crackers, £1.99 for 12, B&M
B&M’s miniature crackers are the cheapest we could find on the high street at £1.99 for a pack of 12, which is only 17p per cracker.
The packs come in a variety of designs and all contain a hat, a joke, and stickers to keep little ones amused around the dinner table.
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Supermarket luxury Christmas crackers
If you're looking for a slightly classier cracker to liven up your Christmas dinner, some of the big supermarkets have some great luxury crackers that cost a maximum of £10 per pack.
Mini Lux crackers, £3.75 for 6, Sainsbury's
Sainsbury’s Mini Lux crackers are currently on special, reduced from £5 to £3.75. That means you can get a slightly more upmarket option for just 63p per cracker (normally 83p per cracker).
They’re only small at 15cm, but the warm berry colours will definitely stand out amongst your festive feast.
Luxury Christmas crackers, £5.99 for 6, Lidl
These full-sized luxury crackers from Lidl are great value, with each cracker coming in at just under £1.
The crackers come in white and silver or blue and gold, so they'll add a budget-friendly sparkle to your table.
George Home Luxury Gold crackers, £8 for 6, Asda
Asda has lots of tasteful crackers on its shelves this year. Each luxury pack costs £8 and they come in an array of designs.
The gifts inside hail back to the classics of Christmases past, including a mini Rubik's cube and playing cards.
Luxury Red Glitter Christmas crackers, £10 for 6, Tesco
Tesco’s traditional-looking crackers are on the cusp of the £10 budget but the intricate design finished with a gold ribbon will make them an elegant part of your dinner table decor.
Tesco has also ditched the paper hat with these crackers, instead opting for a luxury foil hat, along with a motto and a gift. Classy.
Supreme luxury crackers
For those looking to really splash out this festive season, there are plenty of high-end crackers available, from the indulgent to the frankly outrageous.
Charbonnel et Walker Truffle Filled Christmas crackers, £32.50 for 6, John Lewis
If you are fed up with the traditional cracker contents, why not replace it with an after-dinner treat?
Each of these Charbonnel et Walker crackers is stuffed with truffles, either in milk or dark sea salted caramel flavour, and will set you back £5.42 per cracker.
M&S Luxury Gold and Green crackers, £25 for 8, Marks and Spencer
M&S offers the cheapest of our deluxe Christmas cracker selection at £25 for a box of eight.
They come with a gold pattern, but for those looking for something a little jazzier, there is also a tartan design that literally comes with bells on.
Waitrose Silver Glitter crackers, £30 for 6, Waitrose
Waitrose’s hexagonal crackers come in at £5 per piece.
Each eye-catching silver tube is filled with shiny items to match, including a dice, a harmonica and a silver yo-yo.
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Harrods of London traditional Christmas crackers, £900, Harrods
Most people don’t have a spare grand to spend on Christmas crackers, but just in case you bagged a £1 million prize in December's Premium Bond draw and fancied going a bit bonkers, Harrods has got you covered.
Coming in at an eye-watering £150 per cracker, the gifts are a far cry from the slightly naff puzzle or miniature toenail clippers that you expect to find in your average cracker.
Instead, these include designer nightwear, a gem-studded brooch and a rather fancy pen. You can click on the image below or take a closer look at them here.
Environmentally-friendly crackers
Protecting the planet has been a more pressing topic this year than ever before, and that's reflected in the surge of environmentally-friendly crackers on the shelves this Christmas.
Some stores have pledged that all their crackers will be free of single-use plastic from 2020.
However, there are already some great options available if you’re wanting to keep up the Christmas tradition without the environmental impact.
Luxury cracker 6Pk ‒ Eco Kraft Foliage, £7.50 for 6, Sainsbury's
Sainsbury's are offering a great option for those looking to ditch the plastic without breaking the bank with these luxury crackers.
Each pack is free from plastic and 100% recyclable, and at £1.25 per cracker these are a good choice for both the environment and your wallet.
Premium Eco crackers, £16.99 for 6, Dogs Trust
The Dogs Trust is raising money this Christmas by selling fully recyable crackers that are free of acetate.
The surprises inside are all made from wood, which means that there'll be no single-use plastic left lingering at the dinner table.
Wildlife Racing crackers, £10 for 6, RSPB
It's not just dog charities that are keen to raise funds with environmentally-friendly crackers.
The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds is selling crackers made with FSC certified paper that are completely recyclable. Perfect for laying out next to your turkey...
The toys inside are made out of plastic, however.
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Eco Natural Holly Crackers, £17.99 for 12, Love Tiki
Love Tiki only stocks eco-friendly crackers and you can get them in packs of 12 at £1.50 per cracker, or larger packs of 50 for just under £1 per cracker.
The gifts are almost plastic-free and these charming-looking crackers come packaged in a brown paper bag.
Quirky crackers
Traditionally, a cracker is a simple tube shape and features a gift, hat and a joke, but sometimes it’s nice to shake things up with something a little out of the ordinary.
Personalised Christmas Jumper Merry Xmas crackers, £16 for 6, notonthehighstreet
It has to be said that we don’t all enjoy donning a Christmas jumper for the festive period, but these crackers offer a more palatable alternative.
These jumper-shaped crackers contain stationery gifts and work as ideal place settings for the dinner table with their personalised name labels.
George Home Luxury Cake-Shaped cracker, £8 for 8, Asda
Asda has turned the traditional Christmas cracker on its head and is selling packets of Christmas tree-shaped crackers.
The eight crackers come in a cake-shaped formation and contain gifts such as a screwdriver set and measuring spoons.
The Kuckoo Crackers Company Teddy Bear crackers, £20 for 6, Amazon
The Kuckoo Crackers Company has a huge range of crackers on offer, featuring everything from magic tricks and racing penguins to metal construction and robot puzzles.
But without a doubt, the cutest are the teddy bear crackers, with each one having a plush teddy inside that also doubles up as a tree decoration.
Starting your Christmas food shop early? Have a look at the cheapest supermarket for buying your Christmas dinner to make sure you get the best deals this festive period.
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