Homemade bon bons, or Christmas Crackers as they are known in other parts of the world, have been a tradition in our family for as long as I can remember. I have enjoyed taking on the role of bon bon making for quite a few years now. You can see last year's bon bons here.
These bon bons were for a Christmas party that I attended last weekend. Such a beautiful setting. 19 of us gathered outside on a long trestle table, covered in a white linen tablecloth, with branches of holly and red baubles, the 'good glasses' and the 'good silver', fabulous food and company...I digress...
I wrapped these bon bons with old sheet music for something different and this was what was inside...
Each year there is a snap and a hat* inside the bon bon, but everything else varies each year. It depends on the group who I make them for really.
Instead of jokes this year, I used 'conversation starters' and after we'd opened the bon bons we went around the table completing sentences such as "my earliest Christmas memory is...", "Christmas Carols make me...", "My favourite Christmas tradition is...", etc.
Along with some red & green m&m's and some Christmas sequins (leftover from last year) I made up little 'alfalfa sprout kits' with some tulle, some alfalfa seeds, a rubber brand and printed instructions from here (with slight variation).
There are thousands of things you could put inside, but to match the sheet music, these homemade paper decos would have gone well inside. Some other creative ideas, a little outside the box, that would work are these homemade 'mini pick up sticks', fabric covered hairties or magnets, marshmallows & toothpick activity, Christmas themed activity sheet for people to complete then give out prize for winner, small puzzle pieces for everyone to combine & complete ...
Do you make your own bon bons? What do you put inside?
* I make the hat using tissue paper, but you could use Christmas wrapping paper for something different.
4 comments:
These look just beautiful! Some years I make the bon bons - I often make individual ones taylored for each person. The "conversation starters" are a lovely idea.
thank goodness I visited you today - we had forgotten the bon bons! I'll be making some today (but without the "cracker" bit... (and thanks for the advice about making hats with paper... if we make our own they might actually fit our heads!).
I hope you and your family enjoy a lovely happy christmas!
These are just utterly gorgeous Emma! What a beautiful way to complete that stunning table setting. So original and fun, love your clever ideas, you really have so many of them :o) Merry Christmas to you and yours xo
Your bon bons are beautiful Emma! I made my own one year when the boys were very little (I think it was the first year we had christmas at our place), but it was a bit of a struggle, so I haven't done it since. I might try and give it a go next year, I love the idea of the conversation starters! Did you know that apparently the jokes in bon bons are bad intentionally, as everyone has a different sense of humour but bad jokes unite people as everyone can appreciate a bad joke! Just a bit of trivia...
Happy Christmas!! xx
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