Homemade Christmas crackers

Create your own crackers this Christmas

For some families, Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without a few corny jokes, some festive paper crowns and a surprise gift. But, let’s face it − most of us would agree that crackers aren’t all they’re cracked up to be. Although their brightly coloured exterior may spruce up the Christmas table, their contents are usually a huge disappointment. The bang is sometimes inaudible, the paper hat never sits on your head properly and the gift is usually pointless or broken within minutes. But if the thought of going sans crackers this year is too great a step to take, why not consider making your own? Although it may sound like too much hard work, you’ll be surprised at how easily and cheaply a decent cracker can be made. 

Cracker snaps come in packs of 144 for just £3.50

What you’ll need

• Coloured crepe paper or good-quality luxury wrapping paper
• 1 toilet roll per cracker, plus another 2 to form the shape (these can be used again and again)
• 1 cracker snap per cracker 
• String or ribbon
• Decorations such as bows or beads
• Treats for the crackers
• Glue

Step-by-step guide

1.    Lay out your wrapping paper or crepe paper (if using crepe paper, use several layers of different colours).

2.    Place the three toilet rolls in a line on the paper, spacing them out evenly. This will create the shape of the cracker.

3.    Glue along one edge of the paper and roll tightly over the three cardboard rolls. Stick the edge down firmly.

4.    Stick on any decorations you have. Beads and bows work well, but anything goes.

5.    Place one cracker snap inside the cracker and add your chosen treats. The beauty of making your own is that you can add whatever you like. You may want to include a coloured hat and a joke, but you can also slip in other small gifts, such as luxury chocolates; miniature bottles of wine/spirits; mini bottles of perfume/aftershave, hand cream, body lotion and bubble bath; lip gloss; nail polish; earrings; little wind-up toys; erasers; balloons, tattoos; mini pens; and scratch cards. Just make sure they are small enough to fit inside your toilet roll. 

6.    Use ribbon or string to tie the two ends of the cracker (i.e. both ends of the middle toilet roll) and remove the two end toilet rolls. 

7.    Your cracker should now be finished and ready to pull when the time is right. 
 

Office Christmas party themes, part 1

Make your office party a truly Christmassy affair

 With Christmas fast approaching, it’s time to start preparing for the annual office party celebration. While some of us look forward to this chance to let our hair down with our workmates; others see it as a bit of a chore and reluctantly attend. But while you can’t please all the people all of the time, here’s hoping you can at least make it a pleasurable experience for as many as possible.
 
So, if it’s your job to get your workmates together and in the party spirit − even if it’s just for one afternoon or evening − you may want a few ideas to help get you started. These should all be workable, whether the party is happening in your office building, at another venue, or in a restaurant. You may just have to modify things accordingly.
 
Christmas parties based on a specific theme tend to go down well. The question is, which one to choose? In our series of Christmas blogs, we’ll be offering you a few ideas to whet your appetite, starting with a Christmas character theme.
 

Christmas character theme

Get your colleagues to dress up as their favourite Christmas person, whether it’s a biblical figure, a fictional character from a book or film, Father Christmas himself, a Miss Santa, an angel or an elf. And if people aren’t interested in doing the whole fancy dress thing, why not suggest they turn up in a novelty hat or festive accessory instead?

The Christmas character theme can also run through to your entertainment with, for example, a quiz based on films, books, songs or food related to Christmas; dancing to Christmas music; or a Secret Santa based on Christmas-themed gifts.
 
If you’re providing food and drink, you can make it truly traditional fare by offering, for example, turkey bites; turkey and cranberry pasties; nut roast squares (for the veggies); roasted vegetable kebabs; mini roast potatoes on sticks; vegetable platters in Christmas colours, such as green and red peppers, tomatoes and broccoli; mince pies, bite-size Christmas puddings and mulled wine. To complement the food, choose Christmas-themed paper plates, cups and napkins to make your party extra festive.

And, on a final note, don’t forget the mistletoe to put everyone in a fun and flirty mood.

Halloween celebrations

Top tips to make your Halloween party a huge hit

If you're planning a Halloween party, it's now time to start making preparations so that you'll be ready for the big day. Here are a few ideas to get you started in the run-up to your celebrations.

Costumes

As host of your Halloween party, you'll need to look the part. There is a whole range of fancy dress costumes to choose from - and for every member of the family. Girls can take their pick from a midnight spirit to a spider queen, while boys can be anything from a skeleton to the screecher. For women, become a devil or a demon for the evening, and watch the men transform themselves into Freddy Krueger or a crazy clown. But, if it's just accessories that you're after, there are no shortages of those available. A long black wig or a satin witch's hat will be sure to turn heads.

Decorations

Whether you're holding a Halloween party at home or in a hall, you'll certainly want to create the right atmosphere - and you'll be amazed at how a few decorations can transform a room. A well-placed black furry rat and a few plastic spiders, scattered here and there, will undoubtedly scare your guests - especially the arachnaphobes. Or, raise a smile or two with  a couple of hanging demons and a neon blinking skeleton.

Party food

You may be surprised at the number of recipes available with a Halloween theme. If you're planning on dishing up a meal, why not boil up a pumpkin soup, rustle up a goulash (ghoul-lash, get it?) or create a spiderweb-inspired pizza. A pumpkin risotto will always go down well, as will devilled chicken. And for dessert, how about a pumpkin pie, Halloween cupcakes or skull-shaped biscuits? Serve your culinary delights on the Mozaik plastic tableware range and everyone will be suitably impressed.

Entertainment

It wouldn't be a Halloween celebration without a few party games to get everyone in the right spirit - and there's something for everyone, whatever their age. For the little ones, bobbing for apples is always fun. Just fill a large pool or bucket with water and apples and get your younger guests to pick them out without using their hands. To make it more of a challenge, tie their hands behind their backs or use a blindfold. Filling a jar with candy corns or Halloween sweets - and getting the children to guess how many there are - is another way to keep them entertained. The child who guesses closest, gets to take the jar home with them.

As for the adults, there are countless games to keep them amused. When your guests arrive, tape a piece of paper to their back with a Halloween movie character written on it. Then encourage them to find out who they are by asking questions to the other partygoers. The first to guess their identity receives a prize. After a few drinks, your friends and family will be sure to find Mummy Wrap a good laugh. Just get your guests into pairs and have one from each pair wrap the other in toilet roll, spinning them as they go. The first person to get fully covered is the winner. And if you're guests are up for even more fun, a Halloween movie and trivia quiz or a dance contest with Halloween-themed music will get everyone mingling and in the party spirit.

So now you have a few ideas to get your Halloween celebration preparations underway, what will you be doing on Thursday 31 October?

Wear it pink - Friday 25 October 2013

Think pink!

Wear it pink, Breast Cancer Campaign’s fundraising event, is making its annual return on Friday 25 October. The event calls on everyone to dress up in pink to raise money to fund research that will save women’s lives.

Anyone can take part – from school children to seniors. All you have to do is wear something pink or do something pink on Friday 25 October or any other day this month − and donate £2 to Breast Cancer Campaign. You can paint your nails pink, wear a pink accessory or eat something pink. Be as creative and as original as your imagination allows.

If you’re looking to hold your own fundraising wear it pink event, there are loads of ideas to choose from. Hold a pink-themed fancy dress competition with a prize for the pinkest costume at your school. Organise a bake-off at work, with pink-coloured cakes and treats, and then sell or raffle them off. Or host a pink dinner party or pamper evening at home. Anything goes!

Whatever you raise, be it £20 or £200, will help Breast Cancer Campaign support more people affected by breast cancer. To receive your free fundraising pack, visit www.wearitpink.org/register. And to find out about all the ways you can get involved, go to www.wearitpink.org/get-involved

If you’re looking for a pink accessory or a fancy dress costume, you'll be amazed at what's on offer. Choose from a pink glitter cowboy hat or pink pop wig, or go the whole hog and wear a pink fairy costume or become a pink musketeer for the day. But don't feel left out if you're a bloke. You're sure to make people go gaga in a men's pink baby costume.