The mastermind behind the Christmas cracker was a London sweetshop owner called Tom Smith. In 1847, after spotting French bonbons wrapped in paper with a twist at each end, he started selling similar sweets with a “love motto” inside.
想出圣诞饼干的才人是伦敦一间糖果店的店主Tom Smith。在1847年，他发现法国小糖果用一张纸把两边扭着包裹，他也开始售卖相类似的糖果，并在里面放有“爱的誓言”。
They were so popular as a Christmas novelty that Tom made them bigger and included a trinket. But the real flash of inspiration came when he poked the fire and a log exploded with a sharp CRACK! That gave him the idea for a package that went off with a bang.
作为圣诞节新奇的小礼物，这种包装的糖果十分受欢迎，于是Tom把糖果制造得更大，里面可以放一个小饰品。但是真正激发他灵感的是，当他戳破炉火引起一块木头爆炸而发出的巨大的声音。这让他想到可以把袋子爆破引起响声。
He launched his “Bangs of Expectation” with top-of-the range gifts such as jewellery, ivory carvings, perfume and miniature dolls.
于是，他发射了名为“期望爆炸号”的超级有分量的大礼品，如珠宝、象牙雕刻、香水和微型玩偶。