Christmas crackers are so much fun at Christmas and at any holiday or festive occasion. And if your crackers have cracker snaps inside, you get the that traditional pop that's so beloved.

The best kind of crackers are the ones you can customize with your own designs, and fill with your own prizes. Good news — it's easy to make your own Christmas crackers that pop, and you can fill them with your own goodies, too! I'll show you how.

How to make a Christmas cracker that pops

To make a Christmas cracker pop, it has to have a cracker snap inside. These are strips of cardboard with a special spot in the middle that makes an audible pop when the strip is pulled apart.

You'll always find snaps inside traditional English Christmas crackers. When you're shopping for fillable crackers, be sure to read closely to see if they include the snap-pop or not.

How to make Christmas crackers easy

The easiest way to make Christmas crackers is to buy a DIY Christmas Cracker Kit. These kits come with flat templates with snaps that you roll up and fill with goodies. It's got everythign you need, including the traditional paper crowns and fortunes, and ribbon for tying up the ends.

It's so easy to make your own fillable Christmas crackers with a DIY cracker kit.

Step 1: Get the cracker kit

Our favorite DIY Christmas Cracker Kits come in a couple different colors and quantities, and contain everything you need to make your own crackers.

We like the all-purpose metallic silver color, because we can use it for Christmas or to make cracker party favors for other holidays or festive occasions.

Step 2: Decorate the cardboard (optional)

This part is totally optional, but it's a great opportunity... why not decorate the cracker?

That silver color is a great start, but we like to decorate our crackers with custom designs for the occasion. You can let the kids decorate them with stickers, or you can cover them with holiday-themed wrapping paper or any other decorative paper you like.

TIP: Be sure to check out our list below of free printable wrappers that we offer here on our blog

To customize one of these crackers, you'll need to cut two pieces of paper to 3" x 6-5/8" and one piece of paper to 4" x 6-5/8".

TIP: When choosing your paper, you don't have to limit yourself to just one design. Why not mix up complementary patterns and colors?

To add the paper pieces to your cracker, just apply double-sided tape to the backs and press them in place on the cardboard template.

The new paper you just added covered up the assembly slot, so you need to fix that. Flip the whole piece over and use a craft knife to cut through the existing slot in the cardboard, to cut a corresponding slot in the paper.

There are three slots you need to cut. For each one, make sure the slot opens freely so that you can insert the tab into it in the next step.

Step 3: Roll up the tube

Now roll up the tube and insert the big tab in the middle portion into the slot you just cut.

Do the same for the other two smaller slots at either end of the cracker.

Step 4: Tie one end

Use a coordinating ribbon (or the one that came in the kit) to tie up one end (and ONLY one end) of the cracker.

Step 5: Fill with goodies

This is the fun part — filling the cracker with treats! You can use the traditional tissue paper crowns that came in the kit, of course, and then add any other candy, toys, or goodies you like. We've got tons of cracker fillers ideas below, so keep reading for suggestions.

Step 6: Tie the other end

All that's left to do now is tie up the other end with a piece of ribbon and you're done.

Step 7: Enjoy!

To open the crackers, just get a firm grip on both ends and pull. You can do this alone or with a friend, and if you do it right, you'll hear that classic pop when the cracker snap breaks. And then you and your friends can enjoy all the goodies inside.

Custom cracker wrap designs

Our favorite part about using this kit is the fact that it's so easy to customize with special printed designs. In fact, we've got some ready-to-print free wrappers that you can use for various holidays:

• Easter crackers featuring bunnies
• Barbie crackers featuring her ponytail profile

Christmas cracker fillers ideas

What do you put in your homemade Christmas crackers? When it comes to filling your own Christmas crackers, the sky's the limit!

Okay, actually, the size of the cardboard tube is the limit, but you can still use your imagination to come up with some fun ideas.

Besides the traditional tissue paper crown, candy, and a fortune, here are some of our favorite ideas for filling crackers.

10 Christmas cracker fillers ideas for kids

1. Mini bubble wands
2. Lego bricks or Minifigures
3. Hair accessories
4. Hot Wheels toy cars
5. Stickers
6. Mini bouncy balls
7. Crayons
8. Erasers in fun shapes
9. Lip balm
10. Silly Putty

10 Christmas cracker fillers ideas for adults

1. USB jump drives
2. Movie tickets
3. Gourmet chocolates
4. Lottery tickets
5. Mini liquor bottles
6. Keychains
7. Leatherman Micra multi-tool
8. Essential oils
9. Seed packets
10. Washi tapes

5 Extravagant filler ideas for Christmas crackers

1. Keys to a new car
2. An engagement ring
3. A luggage tag for an upcoming trip
4. A roll of cash
5. A watch or other special jewelry

Other ways to make Christmas crackers

If budget is more important than time, and you don't want to purchase ready-made Christmas cracker kits, you can make your own custom crackers totally from scratch.

You can make your own crackers at home using toilet rolls, paper towel rolls, or other cardboard tubes.

If you want to totally DIY your own crackers, take a look at our full tutorial showing you how to make traditional English Christmas crackers from scratch. You can even choose whether or not to make them pop with cracker snaps.