Americans are completely baffled by one Christmas tradition that has been around for nearly 200 years

There are only a few days until December 25, when Brits will be doing a certain tradition that is almost two centuries old at the Christmas dinner table which Americans are utterly bewildered by.

We're talking about pulling a Christmas cracker!

The tradition dates back to Victorian times when in the 1840s London-based confectioner and baker Tom Smith brought the French bonbon, a sugar almond wrapped in paper with a twist at both ends to England and in a bid to boost sales he added in a ‘love motto’ insider the wrapper, according to the Victoria & Albert Museum.

Smith later came up with the explosive "pop" element we're all familiar with today after he was inspired by the crackling sound of a log fire and

The loud bang comes from two strips of chemically infused paper that react with friction, meaning when two people pull the cracker this reaction causes the noise.

iStockphoto by Getty Images

His first cracker was patented in 1847 and continued to hone it until the 1860s and then later, his son Walter introduced the iconic paper hat included inside the cracker.

Christmas crackers today still include the paper hat, as well as novelty toys, and of course, you can't forget a good old joke.

But while this may be a tradition in the UK, it seems the Christmas cracker never travelled across the pond as Americans have expressed confusion online about the festive table decoration, while Brits can't believe it's not part of their festivities.

On Reddit, a Brit posted in the "Ask an American" forum five years ago: "Do you really not have Christmas crackers in America?"

"I'm a Brit, until now I thought Christmas crackers were a universal phenomenon, but something on the Reddit Secret Santa Gallery led me to believe that Americans don't really have them? Is that because you have them at Thanksgiving or something instead or do they genuinely not exist over there?"

They added: "What about the colourful flimsy paper hats that come out of them? I was flabbergasted because, for me, Christmas wouldn't be Christmas without crackers and the terrible jokes that come out of them."

To which one commenter pointed out that Christmas crackers are "really only a thing" in Commonwealth countries such as the UK, Ireland, Australia, Canada and South Africa.

Meanwhile, British TikTok creator Dan Thomas went viral back in 2022 when he asked if it was true that Americans don't have Christmas crackers with their dinner.

"I’d literally never heard of this tradition until I saw it first hand!" American TikTok creator Helene Sula said in a video as she demonstrated how confused she was when she was first given one when she moved to the UK.

In the comments section, other Americans noted how this information cleared up confusion as to why certain TV characters were wearing a "crown" at Christmas.

One person wrote: "So THATS why Arthur Weasley was wearing a crown in HP5!!! I just thought it was some fun thing this kids gave him to get well soon".

"So this is why Bluey wears a crown in the Xmas episodes," another person said.

Someone else added: "Bridget Jones diary .. now I know why her and her dad were wearing crowns"

Elsewhere, 10 last minute digital Christmas gifts you can buy from the comfort of your couch.

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