Fed up with buying pricey shop-bought crackers? Tired of the same worn-out Christmas jokes that seem to make less sense with every year? Done with the tacky cracker gifts that never see it through to the end of the day? You can do away with all of these by making your own!

What you’ll need:

• Roll of quality wrapping paper (even better if you can get it reused)
• Cracker-snaps
• 3 cardboard rolls for each cracker (the end of a toilet roll is the perfect size)
• Coloured tissue paper
• A joke or riddle written on a small piece of paper
• A small filler gift of your choice
• Ribbon
• Scissors
• Sellotape (or a paper tape!)
• Glue stick

Method

1) First make the paper hats. Using your scissors, cut out a piece of tissue paper roughly 30cm by 7cm in length, then keep folding it in half until you’re left with a small rectangle. Carefully cut a point out at the top, then unfold. Gently use the glue stick to glue join the two ends of the hat together

2) Once the glue has dried, put your joke or riddle inside the hat and fold it up. Carefully place the hat, riddle and your filler gift into one of your cardboard tubes.

3) Next, cut out your wrapping paper so it’s the same width as three of your cardboard rolls. Using the glue stick, stick down the ends of the cracker snap about an inch from the bottom of your paper. This will stop the snap from sliding out when end when pulled. Place your three cardboard rolls inside the paper, ensuring that the filled roll is in the middle. Run a line of glue along the top of the paper.

4) Roll the wrapping paper over the cardboard rolls to completely cover them, making sure to overlap the paper over the line of glue. Firmly press down over the line of glue to secure it. Gently pull out the two cardboard rolls on either end about 3cm. Between the middle and outer cardboard roll, rotate in opposite directions to create your seal. Repeat this with the other side.

5) Pull out the two cardboard rolls, making sure that the middle one is still in place. Tie a loose bow around each of the rolled ends of the cracker using your ribbon. Cut of any excess ribbon.

–Harvey