Best Christmas crackers 2024: luxury crackers for the holidays

Christmas crackers for beauty junkies

+ Super stylish
+ Luxury name
+ Travel-sized products

Anyone who loves a good pamper session would love a Jo Malone cracker. This set of six has a beautiful geometric design that would look special on any table, but the real joy is the contents, as there's a cologne or bath and body essential in each. It's a great way to spoil friends and family, as well as try the brand's luxurious products.

A sparkling Christmas from Swarovski

+ Great value
+ Includes 6 pieces of jewellery
+ Gifts people actually want

If you want to go all-out glam this Christmas, these Swarovski Crystal Christmas crackers are sure to impress on the big day. They come as a set of six and include one item of jewellery in each cracker including earrings, cufflinks, charms and more. They come packaged in an equally as sparkly cracker case and tied with bows for a classic finish.

For full-on luxury

+ Luxury brand
+ Gold and velvet detailing
+ A full-on luxe look

Harrods is synonymous with luxury so it will come as no surprise that its crackers are designed to wow even the most discerning of dinner guests. The Regency Regalia crackers include one of two golden designs embossed on the card with plenty of attention to detail. The crackers are bookended by embellished velvet ribbons with pearly centres to match a sumptuous spread. Their contents are surprisingly utilitarian, including a coffee scoop, shoehorn and nail clippers, but will be great quality and may become an heirloom.

Fill your own

+ Traditional look
+ Fill your own crackers
+ Recyclable contents

With a green and red Christmas trees pattern, the John Lewis Christmas Cottage Christmas Trees crackers are fun, vibrant and come in a pack of six. While they come with paper hats and mottos, these crackers are 'Fill Your Own' so you can add your own mini gifts for some personalisation around the table. And for only £8, you can't ask for more!

Festive fun for gin lovers

+ Useful present
+ High end spirits
+ Great for adult gifts

If you're hosting a grown-up Christmas party, what better way to add some fun than with boozy crackers? Fever-Tree's Ultimate Gin & Tonic Crackers look the part with pretty pastel packaging and silver bows but really, these crackers are all about the contents. Each of the four boasts a miniature gin from a big name perfectly paired with a Fever Tree tonic. They're so nice, you could give them as gifts or use them as stocking fillers for young-at-heart grown-ups.

Luxe scents everyone will love

+ Luxe packaging
+ Favourite products inside
+ Great for gifts

If you're looking to impress sophisticated guests this Christmas, Jo Malone's Christmas Cracker Fragrance Gift Set should do the trick. The classy minimalist packaging and decorative bows look great on the table, but the real selling point is the contents. Each boast a Peony & Blush Suede cologne, Wood Sage & Sea Salt body and hand wash, and Blackberry and Bay body crème, all of which are best sellers and firm favourites of people who love this brand. These crackers are sold separately, so you'll have to get organised if you want to source enough for your table.

Ideal with coffee

+ Easy table setting
+ Great for grownups
+ A tasty treat

Everyone loves a chocolate treat at Christmas, but if you want to serve up some sophistication, these are the crackers for you. Hotel Chocolat's mini crackers are designed to be part of a stylist and minimalist table setting with space ready for each guest's name. The best part is the contents, as each of the 10 crackers have one of the chocolatier's best-loved chocolates tucked inside. Like all Hotel Chocolat recipes, each chocolate is made with 100% Engaged Ethics cacao, and nothing artificial, so they're sure to impress even the fussiest foodie.

Random assortment of culinary themed gifts

+ Cute, traditional design
+ Designer decor
+ Culinary-themed contents

This set of six from Liberty have original Nancy & Betty Studio illustrations of the nutcracker story on each cracker. The crackers are finished with red ribbon and contain a silver paper crown and jokes. For foodies, this cracker set is filled with culinary-themed gifts like a honey drizzler, nutmeg grater, wooden plant labels, cookie cutter, and more novelty fun.

The ultimate posh cracker

+ Posh brand
+ Truly luxurious contents
+ Include promotional vouchers

The famous department store's Luxury Crackers look astoundingly good, with regal metallic prints, velvet and satin ribbons and pearly trims. But it's the contents that would even impress the royal family. Each of the six crackers boasts a posh gift, including ornaments, an S. T. Dupont pen and Cowshed Sleep Oil. Handily, they also include a promotional voucher to spend in-store and score £50 off treats from the same brands. If you're looking to impress and make a statement this year, these crackers will do the talking.

Super stylish option

+ Impressive pedigree
+ Stylish design
+ Handmade

If you have ever had the pleasure of perusing Selfridge’s Christmas department in London, you’ll know that everything is carefully curated to be as cool and stylish as possible. These crackers are no exception. The box of six boasts three complementary, minimalist designs, including gold and white stripes, polka dots and dashes, all trimmed with matching paper bows. While there’s no indication of what’s inside, making them a real surprise, we bet they'll contain something special.

Fun, luxe and a little boozy

+ Striking design
+ Covetable brand
+ Luxurious contents

Bright, colourful and a fun zigzag pattern, the Harvey Nichols Luxurious Christmas Crackers help you start your festive feast off with a bang. Alongside a crown and joke is a luxurious and boozy gift. Inside, you can find a Crème de Cassis miniature, a Harvey Nichols Champagne stopper and more drink and food themed gifts.

Stylish fun for all the family

+ Fun design
+ Hand-painted
+ Eco-conscious

Nothing says traditional Christmas like The Nutcracker ballet, and this set of six Nutcracker Crackers from Lakeland brings all that festive magic to the table, minus the ballet shoes. The box contains six handmade crackers each containing a hand-painted miniature nutcracker soldier with hanging loop, making them ideal Christmas tree ornaments that can be used for years to come. Eco-conscious consumers will love them, as they are glitter-free, foil-free and ripe for recycling.

Iconic luxurious styling

+ Signature colour
+ Signature recipes
+ Kitchen gadgets inside

Inspired by its iconic London shop and decked in its signature colours, Fortnum's 1707 crackers will prove irresistible to foodies. The six crackers each contain a paper crown, an obligatory joke and a recipe from the shop's renowned cookbook, which has been paired with a miniature kitchen utensil to use while you cook. For example, you might get a 'white truffle toastie' recipe with a mini grater, or cinnamon and orange biscuits recipe with cookie cutter, making these crackers delicious to look at.

For Christmas magic

+ Striking appearance
+ Original
+ Magic contents

If your table is lacking a little Christmas magic, these Harlequin crackers will help. Each of the six crackers contains a magic trick and instructions, so there's a chance you could be the next David Copperfield by the time the Christmas pudding is served. As well as promising a lot of fun with tricks, the crackers look great too, with a fun print. They are almost exclusively made of paper too, which is great for more eco-conscious consumers.

For building memories

+ Family fun
+ Cute
+ Activity-based

If you have kids around the table, Kuckoo's Build and Play crackers will keep them busy through all the Christmas courses. Each of the six crackers contains a different set of building blocks with instructions so young children and the young at heart can make a sweet snowman, Santa or adorable brick reindeer. When the novelty wears off, they can be turned into something else. Not only would these crackers look great at Christmas lunch with their classic, red, green and gold stripes, but they could also be used as Christmas party favours that are wrapped and ready to go.

A cute and cuddly option

+ Family fun
+ Cute
+ Gifts to keep

If you have a children's table to cater to this Christmas, these crackers are sure to be a hit. They look the part with gold, red and gold geometric shapes, but the real selling point of this six-pack is the contents. Each cracker contains a furry teddy bear wearing a Christmas hat and scarf. If your child has a birthday at this time of year, they would make a great alternative to party bags.

Musical fun for everyone

+ Family fun
+ New skill
+ Gifts to keep

Fans of Christmas carols will love Kuckoo's Handbell Music Game Crackers. Each of the eight crackers in a sophisticated tree print hides a musical secret. When assembled, they can be used by a group to play Christmas carols. The box contains colour-coded instructions so it's simple(ish) to play tunes such as Jingle Bells and Good King Wenceslas around the dinner table… no talent, or previous musical experience required. This set would make a fun gift for music-lovers, kids or large families.

Funky colours and tunes

+ Pop of colour
+ Fresh idea
+ Group activity

Rainbow may not be a colour scheme that springs to mind for Christmas, but few can be quite so joyful. The Yöl Xylophone crackers will appeal to people who loves colour or a little quirkiness, with each cracker boasting a punchy and playful glittery festive word or slogan. Each of the eight musical crackers include a xylophone key and a wooden hammer. Put together, they allow recipients to play festive tunes, making them a great collaborative activity at dinner.

For puzzle fiends

+ Original festive puzzles
+ Collaborative activity
+ Easily recyclable

You won’t have to work out a way to escape a boring dinner with this pack of Escape Room-style puzzle crackers. The set of six each contains a hat (obviously) and an original festive puzzle to solve together to make the inevitable wait between courses fly by. The puzzles should take around 15-20 minutes to solve. Included in the box is a letter from a ‘local postie’ who needs to match presents in the crackers to the correct recipients. The idea is to solve all six puzzles to identify the recipients, and then work together to solve the final puzzle that links them all together.

End Christmas dinner with a bang!

+ Full of yummy treats
+ A fantastic centrepiece
+ Everyone loves chocolate

Not your average cracker, but this would make a cracking centrepiece for your dining table this Christmas. Hotel Chocolat has produced the Rather Large Christmas Cracker, boasting 40 assorted chocolates including truffles, caramels and more, plus 12 paper hats – that’s certainly something to keep the family happy after Christmas lunch. The giant cracker still works just like your classic cracker, so you can pull and snap to reveal the treats with a bang.