Normally I’m bah humbug but I have question

How about key rings? They can be really cheap to make.
Have you ever tried origami? I've found children really seem to like the animal figures.

Miniatures (alcoholic) for the grown ups and small game (snobs?) for the children.

Bath fizzers/ lip balm / miniature alcohol/ packets of seeds( divide up a packet of sunflower seeds for a summer competition, or divide cress seeds for instant gratification), an IOU for babysitting/ gardening for adults, an IOU for children for a cafe hot chocolate/ cinema trip..
you can tell that I've done this before...

What a lovely idea Lucca! I’ve looked online and came across this …..
www.etsy.com/uk/listing/221717713/12x-handmade-guardian-angel-fairy-charms?ga_order=most_relevant&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_search_query=christmas+cracker+fillers&ref=sr_gallery-2-4&frs=1&bes=1&organic_search_click=1

As you have two young children, could you include pre-glued strips to make paper chains? I’ve always found them to be popular.

Lip protection for winter - we like Lanolips
Tiny jar of honey/jam
Hairgrips/slides
Herbal/unusual teabag
Small jewellery items
My granddaughter likes small china animals and asks to see my old "Wade" ones
Liquorice sticks...
Magic fortune-telling fish
Dice

How lovely! It's years since I made crackers...

Thanks ! Me try origami ?? Or making key rings ? I’m so un crafty not to say cack handed but some great ideas. I’d love to find those frogs you clicked or little wind up toys without sending to Amazon for large packs,

I'm cack handed too, so sorry that my suggestions don't work for you Lucca. Mini pencils? Mazes, you know the ones where you have to get the ball in a hole.

Lucca, Baker Ross do smaller packs of little wind up toys and mini games. Have a look online - they are my go-to store for my grandchildren.

Our Oxfam shop has a couple of baskets of "cracker fillers". Tiny bottles or tubes of toiletries, little knick knacks, little plastic animals. All 25p each.

Maybe one of your charity shops would have something similar.

We used to make named crackers containing appropriate gifts. Nice keyrings (loads you can buy quite cheaply), lip balms or glossers, small tools for the crafty like sewing kits, special glitters and paints etc, animal shaped erasers, earrings, some wifi ear buds one year for teenage GD. Items have to be reasonably light or when you pull the cracker the contents go flying out (as we found out 😄).

Puzzle piece key rings, 6 puzzle pieces that all connect together. Amazon, £10 for 6 but I expect others places do them.

If you don't want to make crackers you can buy a set with very cheap contents, gently prise them open and add a gift such as suggested above. You then already have a hat, joke and snap. I stick them back together with a little double sided tape.

I bought a pack of ready made crackers and personalised them. I bought key rings with GC's photos for parents and grandparents. They loved them. Others I put lipsticks or chocolates in.

shysal

If you don't want to make crackers you can buy a set with very cheap contents, gently prise them open and add a gift such as suggested above. You then already have a hat, joke and snap. I stick them back together with a little double sided tape.

But I do want to make them !

HettyBetty

Our Oxfam shop has a couple of baskets of "cracker fillers". Tiny bottles or tubes of toiletries, little knick knacks, little plastic animals. All 25p each.

Maybe one of your charity shops would have something similar.

Excellent idea !

My daughter makes Christmas Crackers for our family and includes a scratch card strip in each one, as well as a small gift. The scratch cards are fun (and a novelty in my family). Quite often someone wins a couple of quid!

The gifts in the past have included stationery items (e.g mini stapler), paper clips in the shape of reindeer, pens etc. Not sure where she finds them! The home made crackers are always a hit.

we always put a lottery scratch card in the adult ones!