How to Fill Christmas Crackers

The complete guide to choosing the right cracker, choosing the right filler and getting everything neatly inside.

Making your own Christmas crackers is one of the best ways to create something genuinely personal for your family, friends, customers or guests.

You choose the cracker. You choose the gift. You can add a joke that actually suits the person pulling it, an adjustable paper hat, ribbons to match your table and a gift chosen specifically for each guest. 

But there is one question that comes up again and again:

What will actually fit inside the cracker?

And then comes the second question:

How on earth do I get it all in there without ending up with a bulging cracker and a pen sticking out of the end?

Don't worry. We've made and filled a lot of crackers over the years, so we've learnt a few things.

This guide explains how to fill our DIY cracker making kits, ready-to-fill crackers and reusable keepsake crackers, as well as how to choose the right size and avoid the dreaded square peg, round hole problem.

 

First: Choose Your Cracker

Before choosing your gifts, choose the cracker.

This is important because the gift is only part of what needs to fit inside. With a traditional cracker, you also need to allow room for the cracker snap, hat and joke.

If you choose your gift first and your cracker second, you may discover that your wonderful present is just a little bit too big.

We've seen it happen.  We've seen it happen, oh, too often!

Items sticking out of the ends of crackers.

Holes cut in the back of crackers to accommodate an oversized gift.

A note in the cracker that the gift was too big - probably the grimest!

Let's avoid all of that.

You can make crackers in several different ways, depending on the look, size and amount of work you want to take on.

Make your own DIY crackers

Our cracker making kits are ready cut and designed to make assembly straightforward. They include the essential components you need to create your own crackers, with online instructions to guide you through the process.

You can choose from patterned, plain, personalised, keepsake, extra-large and jumbo options.

You will genuinely not find a range of cracker making kits like this anywhere in the world - guaranteed!

Ready-to-fill crackers

If you like the idea of choosing your own gifts but don't want to make the crackers yourself, our Ready to Fill Crackers arrive already assembled.

Simply add your chosen gifts and finish them off.

Reusable Keepsake Crackers

If you want to make something that can be opened without destroying it, our new and exclusive Reusable Keepsake Crackers are made in two parts which slide apart.

They contain no snap and can be kept, refilled and reused.

They are particularly useful when you want to put a more substantial gift inside, or several smaller gifts together.

Fabric Crackers

Our Reusable Fabric Crackers are another option for those who want something that can be enjoyed year after year.

They are opened by undoing the ribbon or bow rather than pulling them apart, so they are also snap-free.


What Size Christmas Cracker Do I Need?

This is where a little planning saves a lot of frustration.

Our cracker sizes now range from Small through to Standard, Large, Extra Large and Jumbo, so there is considerably more choice than the traditional one-size-fits-all cracker.

The most important measurement is not the overall length of the cracker.

It is the barrel – the central section where the gift actually goes.

Our approximate cracker sizes, when assembled are:

Cracker size Overall length Barrel dimensions
Small 21cm 7.1cm × 4.2cm
Standard 29.5cm 9.6cm × 5.5cm
Large 37cm 11.5cm × 6.8cm
Extra Large 41cm 16.8cm × 8cm
Jumbo 50cm 20cm × 9cm

 

The Standard cracker is roughly comparable in width to the cardboard tube inside a toilet roll.  We can assure you that these have never been anywhere near the toilet though...

Our Extra Large and Jumbo crackers are a very different proposition. Their generous barrels give you room for substantially larger gifts or several smaller gifts together.

 

The Golden Rule

Choose the cracker according to the gift, not the other way around.  Make life easy for yourself...

If you already know that you want to give someone a particular present, measure the widest part of it first.  If you are choosing from our cracker fillers, dimensions are included in all of our product descriptions, together with the sizes of cracker that they will fit into.

Then choose your cracker.

 

But, How Do I Know If My Gift Will Fit?

We make this easier by organising our cracker fillers according to cracker size.

You can browse:

When one of our filler gifts is specifically described as suitable for a particular cracker size, it has been selected with the dimensions of that cracker in mind, together with the other gubbins that need to go in the cracker, such as the snap, joke and hat.

That is much safer than buying something because it looks small enough.

Why?

Because crackers are round.

Gifts aren't always round.

And…  Square Peg, Round Hole!

Let's Talk About Square Pegs & Round Holes!

Imagine you have found the perfect little cube-shaped puzzle.

It measures 3.5cm across.  Your cracker is more than 3.5cm wide.

So it will fit, won't it?

Not necessarily.  A round tube has no corners.  A square or cuboid gift does.

The corners have to pass through the circular opening, and the hat, joke and, in a traditional cracker, the snap also needs to fit around it.

That's why we recommend leaving yourself some breathing room.

As a practical guide from our own experience:

  • A 3.5cm cube can fit a Standard cracker, but it is very tight.

  • For a Standard cracker, around 3cm or less is a much more comfortable size for a cuboid gift.

  • A 4.5cm cube can fit a Large cracker, but again, it is much better to stay around 4cm or less if you want room for the other contents.

For anything larger, or anything unusually shaped, measure it before you buy your crackers.

The Easiest Way to Fill a DIY Cracker

If you're making one of our traditional DIY cracker kits, our preferred method is to add your snap, assemble the cracker barrel and one handle first, fill it, then close the second handle.  This gives you an open end through which you can easily add your contents, which will include the hat, joke and gift.

 

Our Favourite Trick for Filling a Cracker

This is the little trick that makes filling much easier.

After you have attached your snap and then secured the barrel and one handle closed, prepare your contents by taking your paper hat and lay it flat on the table with the folded side facing upwards and then place your joke and gift on top at one end.

Now roll the hat, joke and gift together into one reasonably tight little bundle.

You can then slide this bundle into the cracker barrel and secure the other handle closed.

It keeps everything together rather than having you attempt to push a hat, joke and gift into the barrel separately.

And believe us, that is much easier - we've had more practice than most!

 

How to Fill Ready-to-Fill Crackers

Ready-to-fill crackers are ideal if you want the fun of choosing the gifts without having to make the cracker itself.

Our own exclusive ready-to-fill crackers arrive assembled and empty, ready for you to add your gifts.

Our current exclusive ready-to-fill crackers are approximately 30cm long, with a barrel of approximately 9.5cm × 5.8cm.

The easiest way to fill them is to open undo the tab on one handle and then prepare your contents, as suggested above, sliding the bundle into the open barrel and close the handle up again.


What about budget ready to fill crackers?

We also stock budget-friendly ready to fill crackers.

These are slightly different, as they are designed to be filled through the open end and then tied with ribbon. For example, our basic gold ready-made crackers have a barrel approximately 10cm long and 5cm wide and are slightly narrower than our own Standard crackers.

For these, we recommend choosing gifts that would very easily fit inside a toilet roll tube, rather than choosing something that is only just within the nominal measurement.

That extra bit of clearance makes all the difference.

 

Filling Reusable Keepsake Crackers

Our keepsake crackers change the filling game.

Traditional crackers have to accommodate the snap as well as the gift, hat and joke.  They also have to be filled through the neck of the cracker, which can be very limiting.

Our reusable keepsake crackers have no snap and are opened by sliding the two sections apart rather than pulling the cracker to pieces.

That means you have considerably more freedom.

You can include:

  • one larger gift

  • several smaller gifts

  • heavier gifts

  • more delicate gifts

  • soft gifts

  • fabric items

  • carefully wrapped surprises

  • a collection of little gifts chosen for one person

They are particularly useful when you want the cracker itself to become part of the gift.

And once the contents have been discovered, the cracker can be put back together and kept, refilled or reused.

Our keepsake crackers are available in five sizes, from small through to jumbo.

They are particularly good for:

Luxury Christmas crackers
Put together a collection of thoughtful gifts for each guest.

Weddings
Give every guest a beautiful cracker containing a personal gift or memento.

Children's parties
Use them instead of traditional party bags and fill them with several useful or entertaining little gifts. PLUS, no snaps to give any safety concerns.

Special occasions
Birthday, anniversary, engagement, milestone celebration or any occasion where the cracker itself is worth keeping.

Gifts
An Extra Large or Jumbo keepsake cracker can even be used as an alternative to a traditional gift box.

 

Extra Large and Jumbo Crackers

If you want to put a genuinely substantial gift inside a cracker, this is where the larger sizes come into their own.

Our Extra Large crackers have a barrel of approximately 16.8cm × 8cm, while our Jumbo crackers have a barrel of approximately 20.4cm × 9cm.

They are reusable keepsake crackers, so you don't need to accommodate a snap either.

This opens up a completely different range of possibilities.

Think:

  • candles and scented gifts

  • wellbeing gifts

  • beauty treats

  • gourmet treats

  • toys and games

  • several smaller presents

  • a main gift with little extras

  • hobby-related gifts

  • personalised presents

  • a collection of gifts for one special person

Instead of starting with:

"What tiny thing can I fit into a cracker?"

you can start with:

"What would I actually like to give them?"

Then choose the cracker to suit.


Filling Crackers Made from Toilet Roll Tubes

Yes, you can make your own crackers using toilet roll tubes.

But we have a slight confession to make.

We would rather you used new, clean cardboard tubes or our purpose-made cracker tubes., which are available in our small, standard and large sizes.

This is not because we're precious (although we are!)  It's just because we would rather not have the contents of your Christmas cracker sharing a tube with something that has previously been living in the "splash zone" (sorry)....

Our purpose-made cracker tubes are a cleaner and more reliable starting point.

If you are using a tube, filling it is slightly different from filling one of our ready-cut cracker kits.

Once you have wrapped your cracker paper around the tube, access becomes much more difficult.

So prepare everything first.

Put the snap inside the tube, then lay your folded paper hat flat, folded side up.  After this, place the joke and gift at one end of the hat and roll them together into a tight bundle and push this into the tube.

You can then wrap the cracker paper around the tube and finish the ends.

It sounds more complicated than it is, honestly!  Once you've done one, you'll wonder what all the fuss was about.

 

How Many Gifts Should Go in a Christmas Cracker?

There is no rule saying that a cracker has to contain exactly one gift.

Traditionally, you might have:

  • one small gift

  • one paper hat

  • one joke

  • one snap

But the number of gifts depends entirely on the size and construction of your cracker.

A Standard traditional cracker will generally be happier with one appropriately sized gift.

A Large cracker gives you more options, perhaps one slightly larger gift or a couple of smaller ones.

An Extra Large or Jumbo keepsake cracker can accommodate several gifts together or bigger gifts.

The important thing is not the number of gifts.  It's whether everything fits comfortably.  

A beautifully chosen gift that fits neatly is much better than five gifts crammed into a cracker that looks as though it is about to explode.

What Should You Put Inside a Christmas Cracker?

This is where things get much more interesting than the traditional miniature screwdriver or playing cards.

We believe cracker fillers should be chosen with the person receiving them in mind.

Our range now includes thousands of little gifts, including:

We also have exclusive filler collections designed and packed by us in Dorset, including many gifts created specifically to coordinate with our crackers.

 

Think About the Person, Not Just the Cracker

The best cracker filler isn't necessarily the smallest thing you can find.

It is something the recipient will actually enjoy.

For adults, think about:

  • hobbies

  • gardening

  • cooking

  • beauty

  • wellbeing

  • stationery

  • games

  • jewellery

  • something humorous

  • something useful

  • something sentimental

For children, consider:

  • puzzles

  • games

  • stationery

  • craft gifts

  • wooden toys

  • fidget toys

  • expanding flannels

  • small creative activities

  • collectable or keepsake gifts

And if you're making crackers for a mixed family, there is absolutely no reason why everyone has to receive the same thing.

In fact, that's one of the great advantages of making your own.

You can choose a different gift for every person at the table.

 

Eco-Friendly and Plastic-Free Cracker Fillers

If you're putting the effort into making your own crackers, you may also want to think about what you're putting inside them.

We have a dedicated Plastic-Free Fillers collection containing gifts made from materials other than plastic, with packaging that can be recycled through household recycling or supermarket collection schemes where applicable.

You'll find options including:

  • puzzles

  • games

  • wooden gifts

  • natural toiletries

  • seed gifts

  • reusable gifts

  • stationery

  • metal gifts

Our Seedballs and other garden gifts are particularly lovely if you want to give something that doesn't simply become another piece of Christmas tat.

 

Should You Wrap Your Cracker Gifts?

You don't have to.

But there is a good reason to consider it.

If you've chosen a different gift for every person around the table, it can be surprisingly easy for the contents to end up in the wrong place when the crackers are pulled.

We've seen it happen.

A little bit of tissue paper around each gift can make the contents feel more special and can also help identify them.

For an extra touch, wrap and label each gift with the recipient's name.

That way, if the contents fly out of the cracker and land somewhere under the table, everyone knows whose gift is whose.

It also adds another little moment of anticipation before the cracker is opened and makes it more like a gift too.

What About Chocolates?

Chocolate can make a lovely cracker filler.

Just remember that the cracker may spend some time sitting on a warm table or being stored somewhere warm before Christmas.

Choose something that can cope with the conditions.

And if you're putting loose chocolates into a traditional cracker, we'd recommend wrapping them.

Because when a cracker is pulled, the contents can go everywhere - as we have all seen!

Table. Floor. In the gravy.  Someone's lap...

 

What About Heavy or Fragile Gifts?

This is another area where keepsake crackers have an advantage.

Traditional crackers are pulled apart, so anything fragile needs careful consideration.

With a reusable keepsake cracker, the two halves are simply slid apart by one person.

That means you can include heavier or more delicate gifts, provided they are appropriate for the particular cracker and are protected from damage.

If something is fragile, wrap it in tissue paper or another suitable protective material.

And, of course, make sure that the gift itself fits the barrel.

 

Snap, Snapless or Keepsake?

You now have more choice than simply "cracker with snap".

  • Traditional crackers

These contain a snap and are designed to be pulled apart.

They give you the familiar Christmas cracker bang and the traditional pulling experience.

These are traditional-style crackers without the snap.

They are still pulled open, but without the sudden bang.

They can be useful where loud cracker snaps are undesirable, including around nervous pets or people who prefer a quieter celebration.

These have no snap and are designed to slide open rather than being pulled apart.

The cracker remains intact and can be reused.

These are reusable crackers which are opened by undoing the ribbon or bow.

They are another snap-free option for those who want to use their crackers year after year.

 

Cracker Filling for Weddings and Other Celebrations

There is no rule saying that crackers are only for Christmas.

We make and supply crackers for:

The principle is exactly the same.

Choose the cracker.  Choose the size.  Choose the filler.

Then personalise the contents for the person receiving it.

For weddings, in particular, a keepsake cracker can make a lovely favour because guests can take it home rather than watching it disappear into a pile of cracker debris.

Cracker Fillers for Corporate and Branded Crackers

If you're making crackers for a business event, conference, Christmas party or customer gift, the contents can be chosen to complement the occasion too.

A branded cracker can contain:

  • promotional gifts

  • chocolates

  • vouchers

  • useful desk gifts

  • branded merchandise

  • small games

  • wellbeing gifts

  • themed gifts

Personalised crackers can also carry guest names, company branding, event details or a special message.

This turns the cracker from simply being table decoration into part of the experience.

 

A Simple Cracker-Filling Checklist

Before you start assembling, check:

Have you chosen the right cracker size?
Measure the largest gift

Have you checked the shape?
Remember: square pegs are harder to fit through round holes.

Have you allowed room for the other contents?
Traditional crackers also need space for the snap, hat and joke.

Are you prepared
It is much easier to fill crackers when everything is laid out first - be organised!

Have you matched each gift to the right person?
Particularly important when every cracker contains something different.

Have you considered wrapping the gifts?
Useful for protection, presentation and identification.

Are you overfilling?
If you have to force the cracker closed, stop.

Are you using a traditional or reusable cracker?
This makes a big difference to what you can put inside.

 

Need Inspiration for Cracker Fillers?

This is where you can have some fun.

We continually add new cracker fillers to the range, while keeping many of the favourites that customers come back for year after year.

Our collections include gifts by:

Cracker size

Recipient

Type

Theme

You can also browse our New Cracker Fillers for the latest additions.

 

Our Cracker Filling Advice in One (Long!) Sentence

Choose the cracker first, then use our gift selector filters to choose fillers, which allow room for the hat, joke and snap where applicable, and never underestimate the difficulty of getting a square peg into a round hole.

Once you've got the size right, filling crackers is actually very easy.

And that's the whole point.

You've done the "hard bit" (or pleasurable, depending which way you look at it!) by choosing thoughtful gifts.

Now you just need to get them inside the cracker.

 

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you fill Christmas crackers?

The easiest method for a traditional DIY cracker is to prepare the contents first. Lay the folded paper hat flat, place the joke and gift on top, and roll them together into a neat bundle. You can then slide the bundle into the open end before closing the final handle.

What do you put in a Christmas cracker?

Traditional crackers usually contain a paper hat, joke, snap and small, largely useless, gift. Homemade crackers can contain almost any appropriately sized gift, including puzzles, stationery, jewellery, games, keyrings, seed gifts, beauty products, wooden toys, keepsakes and novelty gifts.

What are the best cracker filler ideas?

The best filler is something the person receiving it will actually enjoy. Think about their hobbies, personality and interests rather than simply choosing the smallest gift available. Our cracker fillers include games, puzzles, stationery, jewellery, beauty gifts, seed gifts, toys, keyrings, magnets, keepsakes and many more.

How do I know if my cracker gift will fit?

Choose your cracker first and then check the dimensions of the gift. Remember that a traditional cracker also needs space for the hat, joke and snap. If the gift is square or cuboid, allow additional room because the corners have to pass through a circular opening.

What size Christmas cracker should I choose?

Choose the size according to the gift or gifts you want to put inside. Small crackers are suitable for very small gifts, Standard and Large crackers cover most traditional cracker fillers, while Extra Large crackers and Jumbo crackers provide substantially more room for larger gifts or several smaller presents.

How many gifts should I put in a Christmas cracker?

There is no fixed number. Traditional crackers usually contain one gift, while larger and reusable keepsake crackers can contain several smaller gifts. The important thing is that everything fits comfortably and the cracker closes neatly, with nothing peeping out!

Can I put chocolates in Christmas crackers?

Yes. Chocolates can make excellent cracker fillers provided they fit comfortably and are suitable for the temperature at which the crackers will be stored. Wrapping individual chocolates can help protect them and prevent them from becoming mixed up with other contents.

Can I put a larger gift in a Christmas cracker?

Yes, provided you choose a cracker with a sufficiently large barrel. Our Extra Large and Jumbo keepsake crackers are particularly useful for larger gifts because their generous barrels provide substantially more room and they do not require space for a snap.

Are reusable keepsake Christmas crackers easier to fill?

Yes. Our reusable keepsake crackers open by sliding the two sections apart rather than being pulled apart. They contain no snap, so you have more freedom when arranging your gifts and can refill the crackers after they have been opened.

What are keepsake crackers?

Keepsake crackers are reusable crackers designed to be opened without destroying them. Our two-part crackers slide apart, allowing the contents to be discovered while the cracker remains intact. They can then be kept, reused, refilled or regifted.

What is the difference between snapless and keepsake crackers?

Snapless crackers are traditional pull-apart crackers without a snap. They still need to be pulled open and are not designed to remain intact. Keepsake crackers have no snap and are designed to slide open, so the cracker can be reused.

Can I make crackers using toilet roll tubes?

Yes, although we recommend using new cardboard tubes or our purpose-made cracker tubes rather than used toilet roll tubes. If you are using a tube, prepare your snap, hat, joke and gift before wrapping the cracker paper around the tube, because access becomes much harder once the paper is in place.

Where can I buy cracker filler gifts?

We have a large and continually growing collection of cracker filler gifts, including gifts organised by cracker size, recipient, type and theme. Many of our fillers are designed or selected specifically with crackers in mind, and we also have exclusive and plastic-free collections.

 

Ready to Fill Your Crackers?

Now you know the secret.

Choose the cracker first.
Choose the gift second.
Measure anything substantial.
Leave yourself some room.
And don't try to force a square peg into a round hole.

Then have fun.

Because the best thing about making your own crackers isn't simply that they look beautiful on the table.

It's that you can choose what each person discovers when they open one.

And that makes your cracker a little bit more personal than anything you can buy ready-made.

Browse our cracker making kits

Browse all cracker fillers

Browse our reusable keepsake crackers

Browse ready-to-fill crackers

Browse our Extra Large crackers and our Jumbo crackers

 

The Cracker Company, creating memories, one cracker at a time.