Etiquette expert William Hanson has revealed that we’ve all been pulling our Christmas crackers wrong, as he explains the correct timing and method. In a piece for the Daily Telegraph, 35 year old William offered several tips on festive etiquette, including advice on the traditional 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: “At the start of the lunch, because then you can eat the meal with the paper hat on. If you’re doing it at the end, then you can only wear the hat for about 30 seconds until you stand up and it falls off.”
He added: “You must do it quickly, though, because you’ve been served hot food. I suggest reading the joke out during the meal when everyone gets going. You don’t want to wait for all the guests to tell their joke while the turkey is getting cold.”
William also shared his thoughts on sharing memories on social media, advising against posting photos of recently received gifts.
To illustrate his point, he provided two examples, one acceptable and one not. He wrote: “I probably wouldn’t. However, let’s say you gave me a present and you weren’t with me on Christmas Day, I could take a photograph and say: ‘Love the socks,’ reports the Mirror.
“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.”
William isn’t the only one to offer advice on festive manners; Gyles Brandreth also emphasised the importance of language during the holidays, especially in a multi-generational setting, as reported by IrelandLive.
He shared with the outlet: “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.”