most essential part of the Bermudian dining experience on December 25th.

Invented in 1847 by Tom Smith, a British confectioner, the crackers were a means through which he could boost sales of his tissue-wrapped sugared almonds. The industrious Mr. Smith was inspired by crackling fireplace logs to enlarge the candies' wrapping and add a special paper device that snapped when its ends were pulled apart.

As did his original candies, the first crackers bore printed sayings which later changed to silly jokes and riddles. The cracker was later enhanced by tiny gifts or trinkets and tissue party hats.

The Royal family and all of Britain uniformly embraced the crackers as part of their Christmas celebrations, as has Bermuda.

Although relatively easy to make, most people opt for store-bought crackers.

However with a little time and patience, it can be quite a simple task. And the crackers can be decorated as elaborately or plainly as you like. For those opening the crackers however, after they've sufficiently admired your handiwork, they have the joy of receiving a cracker made especially for them.

For a nostalgic, old-fashioned look, use foil-covered papers or gift wrapping paper featuring a Victorian print, and cut them with pinking shears to achieve a jagged edge. The crackers may be trimmed with lace, paper doilies, ribbon, stickers, just about anything will do. They will not however, open with a bang as traditional crackers do.

For each Christmas cracker, you will need: One 9by 15piece of decorative wrapping paper.

One 8 1 by 14 1 piece of tissue or crepe paper, for lining.

One 5by 8 1 piece and two 2 1 by 8 1 pieces of stiffener such as lightweight cardboard.

Double-sided tape or a glue stick.

Colourful cord or ribbon.

Decorative frills.

Lightweight cylindrical support shape for rolling such as the tube from the centre of wrapping paper.

Cracker contents.

To assemble: Place the wrapping paper decorative side down on a flat surface and centre the tissue/crepe-paper lining along the bottom of the wide edge.

Along the same edge, centre the narrow end of the larger stiffener and place the Try it! narrow ends of the smaller stiffeners one half inch in from the side edges of the paper. Secure cardboard in place with glue or double-sided tape.

To form the cracker, place the cardboard support cylinder at the bottom edge of the paper assembly, and c arefully roll the papers around the cylinder to form a tube shape. Slide out the support and secure the paper overlap with tape or glue. If necessary, the curve-shaped paper assembly can be re-rolled to any circumference desired.

Loop a piece of ribbon or cord around the space between the cardboard stiffeners at one end of the cracker and pull in gently to gather. Knot and tie the ribbon as securely as possible, taking care to avoid tearing the paper. Place contents inside the cracker; gather and tie the remaining open end. Fold in the half-inch paper overlap on cracker ends or trim ends with pinking shears, and decorate as desired.