Why You Should Avoid Packing Christmas Crackers In Your Checked Luggage

Traveling for the holidays can be tricky, from sneaking presents into your carry-on without ruining the surprise for your family to choosing where to travel to in the first place. If you're traveling by plane for the holidays, make sure you don't bring any English Christmas crackers — the traditional party favor that pops when pulled. TSA.gov lists them as prohibited in both carry-on and checked baggage.

Each Christmas cracker contains a small explosive strip of paper. "This paper has been treated with a tiny amount of gunpowder – an explosive mixture of potassium nitrate, charcoal and sulphur," writes scientist James Bruce of the U.K.'s Open University. This strip is responsible for the "bang!" when you pull the cracker apart to find the prize inside. 

On Reddit, several people describe having their Christmas crackers confiscated at the airport. "I had my Christmas crackers confiscated at Heathrow airport because of the 'tiny explosive' inside," writes one Redditor. "The guy who took mine was really apologetic. He said it was his supervisor's ruling and he was 'a bit of a jobsworth.' He told me 'I know you're not gonna hijack a plane with a cracker.'" Another adds, "I wanted to take some for my Dutch in-laws because they don't have them over there but alas it was not to be."

While TSA has the right to impose a fine for prohibited items, none of the Redditors who posted about being stopped by security agents for Christmas crackers mentioned fines — just that they were confiscated. For a similar reason, you're also not allowed to bring party poppers in either your checked or carry-on baggage. Like Christmas crackers, they contain a small amount of gunpowder that's responsible for the "bang!" they let off when expelling confetti.  Fourth of July favorites like pop its (also called bang snaps) are also prohibited.

For more items you can't bring on a plane, check out these 10 things banned from flights in 2025.