In 1897 Tom Smith invented the Christmas cracker as a means of remembering what Christmas was all about.

What is the first thing a cracker does? It goes BANG! It gives us a surprise, a reminder of the surprise the shepherds had on that first Christmas night when they were visited by the angels and told the news, "Today in Bethlehem your Saviour was born, Jesus Christ the Lord" (Luke 2)

The next thing we discover is a little gift- a reminder of the three gifts brought to Jesus by the wise men: gold for a king, frankincense for a priest, who would be a link between human beings, and myrrh as a symbol of his special death. Christmas is a time for giving presents as a reminder of God’s greatest gift, his gift of his one and only son Jesus Christ.

The first crackers often contained a motto, proverb or Bible verse- a reminder of what Joseph was told when he found that Mary was having a baby that wasn’t his. "You are to give him the name Jesus. They will call him Immanuel, which means God with us" (Matthew 1, 21- 23)

Tom Smith’s final idea of a cracker was a crown - a reminder that God wants us to crown him King of our lives and to accept the real gift of Christmas; a new life we find through Jesus. As we pull crackers and open gifts this year, we pray that we will receive the gift God offers to us in Jesus.

 Margaret Holmes