I know it's early for the rest of you, but I start planning for Christmas around the summer time.
And just in from the UK are these!
These are Christmas crackers! Just pull on the end of one while another person pulls on the other end and, with a crack of gunpowder, they rip open ! Inside are usually two paper party hats, a small gift, and sometimes a really bad joke written on a slip of paper!
Christmas crackers were invented in the mid-1800s by a baker named Tom Smith who was inspired after seeing French bon-bon sweets which were wrapped in a twist of tissue paper.
They don't seem to be that common outside of the UK, but I can't imagine Christmas without them . or after the main course of Christmas dinner.
It's a shame they are not more popular around the world as they add a little extra fun to Christmas!
I hope you get to pull one some day 
AH