The nutcracker has stood guard over Christmas tables for two centuries. Ours comes in pastel, with gold foil detailing, and a bang.
Set one at every place setting and the table does the work for you. Guests pull, the cracker pops, and out comes a mix of festive confetti, a holiday bell or trinket, and a printed saying to read aloud. It is the fastest way to get a quiet table talking, and it gives the kids something to do between the main course and dessert.
Six crackers to a box, which covers a small family dinner or seeds a longer table alongside a second set. Pair them with taper candles and a runner for a table that looks styled without much effort.
What are Christmas crackers? Christmas crackers are festive paper tubes set at each place setting that two people pull apart. They snap open with a pop and release small gifts, confetti, and printed messages, a tradition that began in Victorian England and now anchors holiday tables worldwide.
