DR Jane, yes we had our very own plum pudding, which we actually kept and brought back to the states. We shared it this past weekend with Anthony's parents. We were out on Long Island for the MLK holiday. Mmmm, mmmm, mmmm, I love Plum Pudding.
The rolled items are Christmas Crackers. They are held, one at each end, by two people and you both pull. The cap in the tube go off as you pull the tube apart and the person left holding the longer end gets the Christmas Crown, the groaningly (is that a word???) bad joke and a small prize (like a whistle or a toy boat, prizes similar to those in Cracker Jack boxes). Crackers are outrageously expensive here in the states but after Christmas I was able to find a box of 12 for a very good price, even considering the exchange rate, so we have Christmas crackers to last for the next few years.