Thoughtwell creates silent cracker that pays tribute to the WWI Christmas truce
Thoughtwell is paying tribute to the fallen this Christmas, as well as the 100-year anniversary of the end of the First World War, in the form of a Christmas cracker that does not bang.
Accounts from the Great War document a special winter in 1914, when reportedly the spirit of Christmas became more powerful than the orders of the generals. The story goes that soldiers from Germany and Great Britain sparked an unofficial ceasefire when they lay down their weapons to play a game of football.
The crackers, created by Blood Creative, have been designed to signify this brief break in the horrendous warfare, when the battle fleetingly paused as soldiers tentatively left their trenches to exchange gifts and sing songs with the enemy.
Crackers traditionally make a bang when pulled, but in these crackers, the usual snap band is replaced by a white ribbon that contains a verse from 'Silent Night' – the hymn that was reportedly sung by troops in the trenches.
Once pulled, the cracker releases a shower of red poppy confetti, figurines of two British soldiers and two German soldiers, along with a message written on a sheet of white paper.
The paper reads: "Christmas is a time for family, for giving, for sharing and remembering. And Christmas in 2018 is a particularly poignant year as it marks 100 years since the end of the First World War."
