Christmas Crackers and the jokes that lie within
Yeah, OK, I know that Australians call them "bonbons" (madness, I tell you).
Now, Christmas crackers are a bit of a tradition. I had no idea where they came from until I started writing this post, but now know that they are a British tradition (hurrah!), invented by a London confectioner called Tom Smith in 1847. Apparently they were a development of his bon-bon sweets, which he sold in a twist of paper (hence why they are called bon-bons in Australia although, I put it to you, they're not sweets any longer, so why call them the same thing?!) Anyway, more exciting historical information here.
Now, I am actually most interested in the jokes that come with crackers as, typically, they're just rubbish. Not only can you not remember them positively the moment after you've read them, but the reaction is never a laugh, and always a groan. Can cracker-makers not afford decent jokes?
Well, that was what I thought until an anomoly last night, when we were round with the lovely Beks and had eaten our rather delicious pancakes with bacon and eggses and maple syrup (Beks was hilarious when her sugar rush kicked in and all she could do was stare, googly-eyed!).
And we discovered a funny joke in a cracker!!!
Well, actually, this was when Ed arrived to pick me up (he is rather lovely, as Wednesday is Stitch and Bitch night, as we all know, and therefore can be Girls Only). (Not that he was the joke, although he did make some very funny comments.)
Let me put this into perspective. The couple of the jokes read:
Q: Why did the cow have a bell?
A: Because her horn didn't work
Q: What do you call a chicken in a shellsuit?
A: An egg
Anyway, Ed's masterpiece was:
Q: What do ghosts eat?
A: Ghoul-ash
Hilarious!!!
Can we up the calibre, cracker-makers, please? The stakes have been raised!
Now, Christmas crackers are a bit of a tradition. I had no idea where they came from until I started writing this post, but now know that they are a British tradition (hurrah!), invented by a London confectioner called Tom Smith in 1847. Apparently they were a development of his bon-bon sweets, which he sold in a twist of paper (hence why they are called bon-bons in Australia although, I put it to you, they're not sweets any longer, so why call them the same thing?!) Anyway, more exciting historical information here.
Now, I am actually most interested in the jokes that come with crackers as, typically, they're just rubbish. Not only can you not remember them positively the moment after you've read them, but the reaction is never a laugh, and always a groan. Can cracker-makers not afford decent jokes?
Well, that was what I thought until an anomoly last night, when we were round with the lovely Beks and had eaten our rather delicious pancakes with bacon and eggses and maple syrup (Beks was hilarious when her sugar rush kicked in and all she could do was stare, googly-eyed!).
And we discovered a funny joke in a cracker!!!
Well, actually, this was when Ed arrived to pick me up (he is rather lovely, as Wednesday is Stitch and Bitch night, as we all know, and therefore can be Girls Only). (Not that he was the joke, although he did make some very funny comments.)
Let me put this into perspective. The couple of the jokes read:
Q: Why did the cow have a bell?
A: Because her horn didn't work
Q: What do you call a chicken in a shellsuit?
A: An egg
Anyway, Ed's masterpiece was:
Q: What do ghosts eat?
A: Ghoul-ash
Hilarious!!!
Can we up the calibre, cracker-makers, please? The stakes have been raised!
posted by Princess Eleri at 11:20 am
15 comments
And complete:
