So what are your favorite Christmas magic tricks

In the effort to establish that this is not a search for a trick your trick that is.

Here are 2 of mine.

I love doing a blendo with a big 36" Merry Christmas silk

I also enjoy what I call gifts. It's basically like flower production from a bag except they are little and big gift boxes. I have also tied in a silk vanish of a card that ends up in one of these boxes.

Actually here is one more. Production of Santa or Santa helpers using my double tip over with a BIG bow on it looking like a giant Christmas present.

sam

My favorite is forgetful Santa, because it's the only one I have.

Jim

I never change... the tricks stay the same... you just be happier around the holidays ('cuz you are working).

Some ideas were tossed around in this thread in the walk-around section but some of them could certainly be used in a stand-up/parlor setting.

I personally don't do any Christmas specific routines, however at one point (it's still in the back of my mind) I was thinking about putting together a Christmas themed show, so here are a few ideas I thought of including:

Incorporating Christmas lights with D'lites (I believe a method was published by Michael Hout)
T&R wrapping paper
Cut and restored ribbon
Bill to wrapped presents (possibly nest of boxes type thing)
Manipulation with ornaments

If more of them come to mind later, I'll post them.

Like many of you, we have had to develop 4 or 5 different Christmas shows for our regular company Christmas party clients. Here's a few of the ideas we've developed into routines.

One is decorating a Christmas tree using magic. It includes ornaments, candy canes, garland, angel for the top and lights. It uses 5 or 6 young volunteers and is about a 10 minute bit.

Another is an opening bit where Pat hands me an early Christmas gift telling me that it is "something I will use.". I unwrap it and it is a roll of toilet paper. The toilet paper is unfurled and a dove appears.

We do another routine with hand held bells and it ends up being a Christmas concert of one song done by the volunteers.

Another is a calvacade of silks from a square circle. A number of silk streamers, line of silks, line of silk flags, some Superman underwear ala 20th century silks and more comes out of the square circle until finally reaching the 36" Merry Christmas silk.

We do a Christmas candy egg can routine where the glass first is filled with candy canes and then that is used to produce a gift bag of candy canes.

We really enjoy creating themed routines for Christmas shows.

I had a couple shows today and the new thing I added this year was a Nest of Boxes.

Wal Mart has these awesome sets of nesting gift boxes in Christmas theme. One set has 3 very large boxes, the largest is 11". That set was $10.00... not bad.

The other nested set ($5.00) was smaller and would fit easily within the larger set. I eliminated the middle box from this set as it was a bit tight in fitting, so I ended up with a 5 box nest, which I gaffed for the trick.

The box is left on display throughout the show. Ultimately, a signed borrowed bill is found inside a lemon, inside the center of the boxes. The un-nesting is done to music which takes the edge off this process. It got very good response both shows.

I too do not have a "themed" christmas show and the tricks that I do are jsut switched to a christmas theme.
such as my blendo is with a christmas silk rather then the flag or happy birthday silk

I also do the vanishing bandana but wrap in in christmas paper and tellthe kids santa delivered it last night jsut for to share with you. you nwrap it and do the same rougtine you alwasy do.

I must say that one of the big problems with many magic s hows is that they are always trying to add something new therefore it never looks polished.

which is why I do my show this way nothing really to change.

have a merry christmas everyone

I have to disagree with you on that one Sam.

There is a broad range of opinions and talent when it comes to performers.

Some never look polished and just don't seem comfortable in what they are doing regardless of whether it is new or how long they work at it.

Others can step on stage with something new (sometimes an entire act) and look like they have been doing it for years.

Even by just changing a few bits (wrapping paper and Santa tie in with the Vanishing Bandana for example, which I think is a neat idea you've got there) in your existing routines, you have added something new. Bet it seemed polished when you did it.

It's all in how you sell it.

As long as stores continue to sell mesh-net Christmas Stockings filled with Christmas candies and toys, I will continue to perform my own Mesh Net Christmas Stocking as described in The Wizards' Journal #7. It's a combination mesh egg-bag routine with a built-in production of all that candy in the form of a red mesh Christmas Stocking (and red works as well as black for this effect). In recent years, I added additional productions from mesh net hamper bags that became available in the Dollar Stores, until finally I was able to produce and decorate a modernistic looking Christmas Tree, and it all ties in to the Christmas Stocking, as explained in the e-Book. It worked as a finale to both my Wizard Magic shows and my General (non-Wizard) Magic Shows for a good number of years, and now many of the routines are still being used by the Wiz Kids in their Christmas shows.

I have a theater Christmas show coming up in two weeks with Dan Harlan. While deciding what to do in the show we brought in some classics as well as some tricks that have been dressed up for the theme of the show. In my parts, of the show I will be doing some mental magic, five card repeat, Vanishing Bandana dressed as a Christmas gift, my mind reading pet routine and Gypsy thread Thanks’ to Sam for teaching me how to make sure it’s perfect every time.
We also have an elf in the show who is a clown so things get very interesting. Everything Dan and I are doing trick wise we have both done over and over many times in many different shows. The key is not only the outer look of the trick you are doing but also you’re scripting.
Also with Dan’s creative mind just about everything we do in this show has a magic element to it, from ringing a bell to introducing Santa everything from start to finish and every prop we use has a purpose for that one show. If anyone reading this is in NW Ohio on Dec 19 or 20 and you want to catch the show PM me for details where you can order tickets.
Good luck to all who are doing a Christmas show this season.
Floyd

Hey Floyd thanks for the kind words and make sure you tell me how the event goes!
My DVD on the gypsy thread should be out mid 2010! sooner if I perform at the magic castle in March.

RJE- maybe I should have been a bit more specific. when I lecture I go into great detial however here in a short post your right it did not come off exactly the way I intended it to.

what I am refering to is this. we magicians already know enough tricks that will last us a life time and most likley could not perform all of them in our entire life. what I am getting at is that many magicians are alwasy adding new tricks there seems to be a mind set (invented by dealers) that if we put this NEW trick in our show then we will be as famous as so and so. (not slamming dealers here just pointing out a buisness mindset they create and they create it well:)

I am NOT refering to adding an effect or changing up an effect to make it look different like my vanishing bandana being wraped like a gift but those that buy a new trick and put it inthe show the day after they get it but then 5 weeks later they take it out and put something else in.

again I am not sure I am doing a good job explaining myself as I am more of a talker then a writer. it took forever for me to write and rewrite my lecture notes ugh:)

let me say it this way. think of jay marshal - lefty he did this for years and years
Micheal Finney - card on fore head
jeff McBride his Kubuki act
sam sandler-famous change bag routine
they have all done these routines and still do for like ever that is why they look so polished and perfected. sure they may change it up here and there or improve upon it but the idea is to find a routine and perfect it then perform it for a looong time.

some of my routines in my show I have been performing for over 18 years and will do them for another 18.

so I end with saying I have no problem with some one adding some new stuff here and there its the ones (I used to be guilty of this too) who add new stuff what seems like every other show.

good luck to all and Merry Christmas

sam

Good luck and Merry Christmas to you too Sam.