Etiquette expert says you’ve been pulling Christmas crackers wrong

Etiquette expert William Hanson has revealed that many of us have been pulling our Christmas crackers all wrong – and here’s how we should be doing it.

In a piece for the Daily Telegraph, the 35 year old shared several pieces of festive etiquette advice, including how to handle the iconic Christmas cracker.

He advised against pulling it at the end of the meal, as this only allows for the paper hat to be worn for “30 seconds”. Instead, he suggested pulling the cracker at the start of lunch, allowing for the hat to be worn throughout the meal.

However, he warned to do so quickly to avoid letting the hot food get cold. William also advised reading out the joke during the meal, rather than waiting for everyone to tell their joke while the turkey gets cold.

Additionally, William offered guidance on sharing memories on social media, advising against posting photos of recently received gifts.

Using the example of receiving socks as a gift, he explained that it would be acceptable to post a photo if the giver wasn’t present on Christmas Day.

“Thank you so much. Here they are on my feet.’ Technology can be good, but posting about how many presents you’ve received on Instagram – no, I don’t think so,” reports the Mirror.

William isn’t the only expert to weigh in on Christmas etiquette; Gyles Brandreth also shared his insights earlier this year with IrelandLive.

He advised: “Christmas is multi-generational, so you have to be careful. It’s about sharing with the family. People use jargon to keep out other people. So, if you are a Gen Z person, you should not use your Gen Z language at Christmas because older people won’t understand it.”

“You need to be inclusive, so you can’t be using the word ‘ick’ or, when asked how your year was, saying ‘I had a ‘Hot Girl Summer’. Of course, no one should use bad language on a family occasion, but it’s not just bad language. You have to use language that everyone can understand.”