# British Christmas Crackers: Sizes, Finishes and How to Pull Them **By British Food Supplies** · 2026-10-30 Pulled apart by two people at the table, a British Christmas  cracker is a decorated cardboard tube. It goes bang, and out come a paper crown, a joke and a small gift. All the crackers below are from Tom Smith. Your choice of box comes down to three things: how many people you're seating, how long you want the crackers to be and how much you want to spend. ## What happens when you pull a cracker Each cracker holds a snap (a small strip that makes the bang), a paper party hat, a printed joke or motto and a gift. You hold one end, your neighbor holds the other, and you pull. Once it goes, the tube splits unevenly, and whoever ends up with the bigger hal f keeps the contents. Everyone then puts on the paper crown and wears it through the meal, which isn't optional at a British Christmas dinner. Someone reads the jokes aloud, usually to groans. Gifts get compared, and dinner carries on. ## Three lengths, four finishes, and what each box costs Tom Smith calls itself the original Christmas cracker company, and it has held a Royal Warrant since 1906. Our crackers come in three lengths, broken down below. - **8-inch, box of 6, $12.73.** Shortest  and cheapest of the three. The Luxury Tree range comes in [Kraft](/products/tom-smith-cracker-6x8-kraft-luxury-tree), [Gold](/products/tom-smith-cracker-6x8-gold-luxury-tree), Silver and Traditional finishes, all at the same price. - **12.5-inch, box of 8, $19.68.** The Family range. [Traditional Family](/products/tom-smith-cracker-8x12-5-traditional-family), [Gold Family](/products/tom-smith-cracker-8x12-5-gold-family), Kraft Family and a 12 Days of  Christmas design are all the same price. - **14-inch Premium, box of 6.** [Gold Premium](/products/tom-smith-crackers-6x14-gold-premium) is $26.50 and [Silver Premium](/products/tom-smith-cracker-6x14-silver-premium) is $28.15. - **14-inch Deluxe, box of 8, $37.80.** [Traditional Deluxe](/products/tom-smith-cracker-8x14-traditional-deluxe) and [Gold Deluxe](/products/tom-smith-cracker-8x14-gold-deluxe) are the largest sets we list. [![Tom Smith Cracker 6X8" - Kraft Luxury Tree – festive British Christmas cracker set](https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/1428/1734/files/xm26-920.jpg?v=1792162457&width=800)](/products/tom-smith-cracker-6x8-kraft-luxury-tree) _Tom Smith Cracker 6X8" - Kraft Luxury Tree_ In a product name, one number  gives the cracker length in inches, and the first number tells you how many come in the box. Check both before you buy, because a 6-piece box and an 8-piece box can sit side by side at similar prices. ## What the Premium crackers add Tom Smith's Gold Premium listing is the most detailed of the lot. It describes a box of six 14-inch crackers in a white-and-gold finish with hand-tied ribbons. Inside, the gift is described as a quality one, such as a bottle opener, a sewing kit or a mini puzzle. That makes it something you keep, not a plastic trinket that ends up in the trash by New Year's Day. Premium is Tom Smith's step up in finish. Listings for the other sizes don't name the gifts, so I won't promise what's in them. What they do say is that the crackers are made for place settings, party tables and Christmas lunch. If the gift matters to you, Premium has a stated answer. ## Picking a finish Kraft has the plain brown-paper look. Gold  and Silver suit a table with metallic details, candles or glassware. Traditional is the safe choice if you aren't coordinating with a color scheme. The [12 Days of Christmas Family crackers](/products/tom-smith-cracker-8x12-5-12-days-of-christmas-family) are the one patterned design in this group, so they work if you want something that looks decorated from across the table. [![Tom Smith Cracker 8X12.5" - 12 Days Of Christmas Family – festive British Christmas cracker set](https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/1428/1734/files/xm26-912.jpg?v=1792162425&width=800)](/products/tom-smith-cracker-8x12-5-12-days-of-christmas-family) _Tom Smith Cracker 8X12.5" - 12 Days Of Christmas Family_ Within one range, finishes cost the same, so choose by the look of your table, not by price. Mixing works too. Gold at the head of the table and Kraft down the sides is fine, as long as the lengths match. ## How many boxes you need Plan on one cracker per guest, set on or above each  plate. A dinner for six takes one 6-piece box, and a table of eight takes one 8-piece box. Larger gatherings mean combining boxes. On a budget with a crowd to feed, the [Traditional Luxury Tree crackers](/products/tom-smith-cracker-6x8-traditional-luxury-tree) at $12.73 for six are the lowest-priced way in. For a handful of impressive ones on the main table, a single Premium or Deluxe box does the job. [![Tom Smith Cracker 6X8" - Traditional Luxury Tree – festive British Christmas cracker set](https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/1428/1734/files/xm26-919.jpg?v=1792162453&width=800)](/products/tom-smith-cracker-6x8-traditional-luxury-tree) _Tom Smith Cracker 6X8" - Traditional Luxury Tree_ Pulling works best when everyone's seated with room to move their arms. Clear glasses and candles from the pulling zone first. Pull all at once, so the room goes bang together and nobody's left holding a cracker alone. ## Ordering from our Massachusetts stock These are imported from the UK and held in our warehouse in Massachusetts. Orders ship from there to addresses within the USA. Nothing is sent from the UK, so there's no wait on a transatlantic delivery. You can see the full range on the Christmas crackers collection. Crackers are seasonal, so order well before the day you plan to use them, and count your place settings first. ## Questions people ask ### Are Christmas crackers a British thing? Yes. They're a British Christmas tradition, and  Tom Smith describes itself as the original Christmas cracker maker. They're pulled at the table during Christmas dinner. ### Can you eat a Christmas cracker? No. A cracker is a decorated cardboard tube holding  a snap, a paper hat, a joke and a gift. It's a table favor, not food, and the cracker biscuits Jacob's sells are a different thing. ### What's inside a Tom Smith cracker? A snap, a paper party hat, a printed joke or motto and a gift. The Gold Premium listing names gifts such as a bottle opener, a sewing kit or a mini puzzle. ### How do you open a Christmas cracker? Hold one end, have the person next to you hold the other, and pull. The cracker splits with a bang, and whoever gets the bigger half keeps the contents. ### Do you really have to wear the paper crown? At a British Christmas dinner, yes. Everybody puts theirs on after the pull and keeps it on for the rest of the meal. ### Which size should I buy for a family dinner? The 12.5-inch Family boxes hold 8 crackers at  $19.68, which suits a table of eight. For a smaller table, the 8-inch box holds 6 at $12.73. ### Do the crackers ship from the UK? No. We hold the stock in our Massachusetts warehouse and ship within the USA only. ### How many crackers do I need per person? One per guest is the usual rule. Set it on or above each plate, and each guest pulls it with the person beside them. **Tags:** British Christmas, Christmas crackers, Christmas table, Christmas traditions, Tom Smith --- > Source: [British Food Supplies](https://www.britishfoodsupplies.com/blogs/news/british-christmas-crackers-sizes-finishes-how-to-pull)