As essential to the British Christmas table as the roast turkey and gifts, the humble cracker joke is set to provoke its annual mix of laughter and groans. This year, a panel of one has declared a simple snowman pun from Sainsbury's the champion.
The Winning Groan: A Snowman Melts the Competition
Self-confessed 'Christmas cracker obsessive' Gyles Brandreth, the broadcaster, author and former MP, was tasked with selecting the finest joke from six major supermarket offerings. The victor was a succinct riddle found inside Sainsbury's crackers: 'What do you call an old snowman? Water.'
Brandreth explained that the hallmark of a successful festive joke is its inclusivity and its ability to make the whole family groan. 'A groan is the sign of a good one - this is the whole point, the worse they are the better they are,' he stated. He emphasised that the ritual of pulling crackers and sharing the joke is a unifying moment, linking everyone around the table.
A Festive Tradition That Brings Families Together
'The Christmas cracker joke has to be inclusive and work for the whole family. It needs to work for granny as well as the little ones,' Brandreth said. He revealed the strict rule in his own household: 'The rule is you have to perform your Christmas cracker riddle, in our house you have to stand at the table and perform it. The joy of a Christmas cracker joke is that it has to be shared.'
His lifelong passion for crackers began in childhood, where he kept a scrapbook of jokes and mottos, and even saved the paper hats and wrapping. This obsession led to his first job out of university as a freelance joke writer for the historic Tom Smith cracker company.
The Runners-Up and a History of Humour
The top five included other classic pun-based gags. From Tesco, a festive favourite: 'How does Good King Wenceslas like his pizza? Deep pan, crisp and even.' Another from Sainsbury's played on words: 'How did the reindeer learn to play piano? He was elf-taught.'
According to Brandreth, the formula for cracker jokes has remained largely unchanged for decades, typically blending a riddle with a pun. He shared a favourite of his own creation from his Tom Smith days: 'What does the Queen do when she burps? She issues a royal pardon.'
Dr Bob Nicholson, a historian and humour expert at Edge Hill University, provided context, noting that Christmas crackers date back to the 1840s. Confectioner Tom Smith in London initially made sweet-filled bonbons, gradually adding mottos and sentimental verses. Surprisingly, jokes were a much later addition.
'The surprising thing is at no point did they actually put jokes in. And the Victorians loved telling jokes,' Dr Nicholson said. The evolution from sentimental verses to 'conundrums' (a cross between a joke and a puzzle) happened gradually, with the first proper joke appearing inside a cracker not until the 1920s or 1930s.
He believes their enduring appeal lies in their social function. 'It's a thing we do together and there is a pleasure I think in sharing bad jokes,' he explained. 'We are all in on the joke that it is going to be bad and we are going to groan. And there is a real pleasure to be had in that.'
