Easter becoming a 'second Christmas' as families buy crackers for their Sunday lunch 

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'Easter crackers' could soon become commonplace at Easter family meals  Credit: Good Housekeeping

It was once celebrated with an egg hunt in the garden and a simple Sunday roast.

But now Easter is becoming a "second Christmas", experts say, as supermarkets have started selling Easter crackers as part of a new, expanded range of themed decorations and gifts.

According to home gurus at Good Housekeeping magazine, house proud families' Easter efforts are getting bigger and better than in years gone by.

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Many families enjoy the old traditional of an annual Easter egg hunt  Credit: Telegraph

For the first time ever the magazine included Easter crackers on its widely-acclaimed annual Easter dinnertable photo shoot this year.

The spread depicts a spring-themed table dressed with flowers, candles , and bright yellow table cloth and pale blue Easter crackers for guests to pull before they eat.

According to Waitrose, demand for Easter crackers is soaring with sales rising by 63pc this year alone, amid a resurgence of the traditional family Easter lunch.

Independent cracker makers have been making Easter-themed crackers on a small scale for many years, however the trend is just going mainstream as supermarkets have cottoned on.

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Good Housekeeping's Easter dinner table spread 2017 Credit: Good Housekeeping 

Carolyn Bailey, homes and garden editor at Good Housekeeping, said: "This is the first year we have included Easter crackers as we feel people now want that extra touch to finish off the table. This year we've seen more people buying gifts and decorations for Easter, including crackers which are normally bought for Christmas, but now Easter is becoming like a second Christmas."

She added that shops had started selling a wider range of Easter-related gifts such as candles, decorative boxes, bunting and mugs.

And its not just the decorations which are starting to rival Christmas - as gifts are getting bigger and better too. 

Several children's toy manufacturers are appealing to health-conscious parents by selling Easter themed non-confectionery gifts, such as collectible electronic chicks which hatch out of plastic eggs. 

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House of Crackers has been making these hand-made crackers for years and now supermarkets are imitating them Credit: House of Crackers 

And despite a major Government crackdown on childhood obesity and sugar consumption, Easter egg sales were up by more than 12pc last year. 

This is despite a major fall in Cadbury's Creme Egg sales following a decision by its parent company, Kraft, to change the recipe.

Tony Davison, director at independent cracker store, House of Crackers, has been making Easter crackers for around seven years. He said: "People seem to have got it out of their system now that crackers are just for Christmas. People are now ordering them to decorate tables at weddings, on Valentines day, Mothers Day and at Easter. 

In an age where people are glued to their smartphones, crackers are a great ice breaker and conversation starter for slightly large occasions. They are also a fun take on the standard box with a large egg in it. Parents especially prefer having lots of little chocolates so they can portion them out sensibly to children."

Kate Bottley, a priest and Channel 4 Gogglebox star, said: "For Christians E aster is bigger than Christmas as it celebrates Jesus's Crucifixion and Resurrection. S o I think its a great thing that people are going to more effort. Of course businesses will want to make money off the back of it, but that will never change. I think a nything that starts a conversation about what Easter is all about, and which brings about a resurgence in community and family time is a brilliant idea."

 

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