Crackers have been a traditional part of British Christmas festivities and other celebrations since Victorian times and are greatly enjoyed by children and adults alike. They were invented in the mid-1840’s by a London pastry cook named Tom Smith, who came upon the idea while on a trip to Paris where he witnessed the French holiday custom of wrapping sugared almonds and other sweets in a twist of colored paper. Smith included a romantic message in his early crackers which he marketed in Britain as “Kiss Mottos”. However the product enjoyed only limited success until Smith devised a way to make the cracker “pop” when pulled apart (see below) .