IF you think Christmas gets earlier every year, then spare a thought for Kim Lam and her team for whom the festive season starts in early March.
Throughout the year they make crackers for companies and stores across the country including retail giants like Selfridges and Liberty’s.
And although Wizzard’s vocalist Roy Wood wished it could be Christmas every day, Kim admits the novelty wore off a long time ago.
“This is our fifth Christmas and being surrounded by tinsel and glitter all year does tend to take the edge of it,” she laughs. “We start making crackers in March and go right through to the middle of December.”
And if that’s not enough to send you, well, crackers, by October they’re already looking ahead to the following Christmas.
“Many of the bigger stores work 18 months ahead and they send us their colour schemes and briefs and it is our job to source it and put it altogether ready for distribution in July,” Kim explains.
Christmas really does get earlier every year. Harrods started their display in August. Every year the stores try to outdo each other.
“I think it’s because it is such a British tradition. Tourists who visit in the summer will buy the crackers and take them home.”
After December the team at Celebration House on the Ferndown Industrial Estate have a few months to recuperate before starting the festivities all over again.
“I do get a bit jaded sometimes but I always try to bounce back and make a special effort on Christmas Day!” adds Kim.
And if she needs cheering up, she could always read a Christmas cracker joke or two.
“We have hundreds of jokes which we try to update and change every year – our postman usually comes up with a few new ones so we do have a laugh even at the really bad ones.”
Did you hear the one about the posh box of crackers that cost £1,000? Pull the other one! No actually that’s not a joke.
This year the company is supplying top-notch crackers for the upmarket London-based store Fortnum and Mason.
Half a dozen of its finest hand-made crackers presented in a hand-carved polished walnut casket will set you back a grand.
“Each cracker has to be hand-stitched, lined, quilted and beaded and we also had to make special hats – quilted tiaras for the ladies and crowns for the men,” adds Kim.
All the gifts inside are supplied by Fortnum and Mason, ranging from silver-plated napkin rings to leather passport covers and luggage tags.
This year the Celebration’s team also designed an eco cracker for John Lewis.
“People often don’t realise how much work is involved in making a cracker,” says Kim.
“We had to source lots of eco facts and suitable gifts including recycled paper hats”.
And a cracker isn’t just for Christmas. Kim has orders coming in all year round for special occasions.
“People now have crackers for weddings, parties, corporate events – we are also making some for Halloween but of course Christmas is still our busiest time of the year.”
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