SEASON's HOLIDAY!!!

[Jaime C.]

Holidays are coming and time for bonding with families and friends and this is the perfect time also to open up our cabinet and review what is the best trick we can show off to them.

As i'm taking my vacation soon, some magic tricks will occupy some space also on my hand luggage to go with me. I will take some of my Tenyo's (i don't have much) Flash Dice, Vault & Hyper Vision, Magic Cubes (Winnie the Pooh) Lucky Rabbit and together with In & Out boxes, Bird Watcher, Think a Drink and Dream Tunnel that i just received. And many more magic tricks...

How about you guys, are you ready for the families/friends bonding?

[JohnM]

I just learned the my grand niece (who is about to turn two) is a big fan of Mickey and Minnie Mouse so I will try out my Disney Candy Book with her on Christmas Eve.

[SimonC]

I have one week left of work then it's Xmas all the way!
I'm getting my mystic ruby tattoo this holiday. the graphics are borrowed from tenyo but it's to represent my own mystic ruby
tried it on for size with felt pen already...

[Rob Rand]

Planning to perform some of my bigger tricks like the Flying Rubik's Cube...

[Brett H]

Going to relatives in Texas. I'll be bringing all my Tenyo (Magical Sneakers, Burglar Ball, Magical Burger, and Clean Cut)
As well as Ghost Deck, Bird Watcher Too, and Telekinetic Nut

[gazpratley]

nice one Brett let us know how it goes!.

[David DeTenyo]

These days are real fun for us magic collectors. Like many of us I take the opportunity to perform a few effects when family and/or friends visit or I go out and visit them. Each year I try to have three or four tricks set to perform in my pocket (I don't use a magic case for these occasions because it looks a bit akward) or in a litle bag.

I think it is important to follow a few guidelines, I'm stating nothing new here, it has been said many times on this and other fora.

- Choose effects you know by hearth and can almost perform with your eyes closed. I have learned my lesson here a couple of years ago. I completely blew it with Marvin's Magic Energized Coin.
- Don't drink too much. Also lesson learned here. Tricks that require some 'thinking' like many mentalism effects are likely to go wrong. I made a fool of myself a year ago with Bird Watcher - I forgot the base number and when I realized what it was I wasn't able anymore to add up correctly
Therefore I perform my magic before dinner, always
- Choose four or five effects MAX, not more. People loose interest quickly.
- Choose 'quick' tricks. I feel that on evenings like these people tend to get a bit overenthousiastic and if they drank too much even a bit nasty when a trick takes too long.
- I try to do one mentalism trick, one card trick, something electronic or telekinetic and one 'other'.

I don't have a routine ready - set but I do have some effects I have been practicing the past few weeks that I can choose from depending on the situation. The tricks with a (*) are the ones I will perform for sure.

- The trick with the coins which was explained in Scamschool some time ago. Not really a magic trick but when you act as you're using sleight of hand it goes well. And it's pretty easy to do. See here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mE1nl1WVzi0
- As a mentalism effect I will be performing Free Will. (*)
- As a penetration it will be Ton Onosaka's Queens Escape.
- Done With Mirrors (*) and/or Royal Fantasy by Lubor Fiedler (depending on the situation I perform one or both)
- I might perform Tenyo's The Third Eye - great audience involvement.
- My final trick, because I got tired after performing the other three, is one that will be performed completely by the spectator. It is called Lazy Man's Card Trick from Harry Lorrayne. Completely self working and a strong finale. (*)

So, what will you be performing?

[VictorS]

So, what will you be performing?

David,

I always have my chalk paddle in the close up routine. It is a perfect ice breaker, the prop is innocent, small, fir into the pocket, could be handed out for examination which is important and make my life easier, the routine is very funny, fool the people who look at it, very visual, have many phases of surprises and involving also the spectator as part of the routine.

I love also to perform Aldo Colombini`s Predeckability or Paul Green Jeopardy, it has also all elements in the routine I described above. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2JKx_iFWoWU

I will also involve Nest of Wallets into my close up performance.

In conclusion, for the close up performance, I love the routine with the innocent looking props and the secret is in you not in the props although I love all different kinds of magic

[Brett H]

That is some good tips, David.

I brought all my stuff but looks like Ill need to hone it down for the adults.
Hilariously, I brought a case. A small carrying case, but I won't be able to work from the pockets.

But four tricks for the adults...let's see.

Milton Bradley's Ghost Deck
Telekinetic Nut
Burglar Ball
Magical Burger - Instant Burger

Ill have a much bigger set to pick from next year to actually make a routine out of. If I had my druthers, I'd be using Magicians Clock

[David DeTenyo]

Thanks for the ideas guys

Victor, yes, Paul Green's Jeopardy is one I performed two years ago. It hits hard and is easy to do ... .

[SimonC]

This festive season I will be carrying In my super-butch Magic man bag...
12 drummers drumming
11 pipers piping
10 wait...

My twelve tricks of Christmas are...

Tiny plunger
Outlaw
Bird Brain
Sakkaku scale
Telekinetic nut and bolt
My pet boris
Nest of wallets
Kolossal Killer (in my wallet)
Magic paintng
Twilight Angels
Think-a-drink
Card Warp

These all pack nicely into my bag. I also have a standard deck of bicycles for card tricks and if I'm wearing a jacket I'll crack out the F1 wallet.
I have my first 'booking' for the new year table hopping at a friends wedding in August so I have until then to literally get my act together.

[SimonC]

Milton Bradley's Ghost Deck
Telekinetic Nut
Burglar Ball
Magical Burger - Instant Burger

I hope your daughter doesn't mind you pinching her new ghost deck mate

[Brett H]

Milton Bradley's Ghost Deck
Telekinetic Nut
Burglar Ball
Magical Burger - Instant Burger

I hope your daughter doesn't mind you pinching her new ghost deck mate

Speaking of Ghost Deck...

She brought hers along with too! We both have a set. She just has her very own for her magic box. And a nice addition it is too.

The thing that got me is that when she got her set and tried it on me, without looking at the instructions and knowing that I always do the trick withy a spectator getting a card first; she told me to 'pretend a card and you tell me if you see it on these other cards.'
I was floored.
Every time she brings it out we get closer to a great trick. Just working in card organization and gimmick concealment

How's Map of Skull Island working out for you?

[kellebotond]

Hello Guys,

Happy Holidays to you all. Here is a video with some ideas for tricks for Christmas eve from me:



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jjJD3dJxLNw

(It's in Hungarian but I thinks you can understand all the effects: refilling candy, taking the lights off from the tree, multiplying decoration bulbs, etc.)

Botond

[VictorS]

What a nice christmas magic video Botond......merry christmas to you and all of us !!!!

[SimonC]

Great video botond thanks! Very festive
Have to ask tho, that's not what it looks like right?

[JohnM]

Excellent video Botond. Very Creative.

I especially love pulling the light off the Christmas Tree. I wish I would have watched this before I went visiting. I would have for sure done that one with my wife. She loves to perform that one with me.

[SimonC]

good point John, thanks botond, I used the lights from the tree trick this Christmas so thank you I use mine to 'steal' the standby light from my tv/play station/etc as that's often a single red led. This was much more festive tho, and looks more convincing

[kellebotond]

Thanks for the kind words guys. Simon, this is a Santa figure made out of chocolate.

[Brett H]

So late to the party! The rookie has been trying to figure out the tricks in the video.

I can't figure some of them out, But man the multiplying ornaments is done well.

[Brett H]

All right, I had a chance to perform some magic for others during the holidays. I took my entire inventory of magic (because it's not a large amount) and performed it all at least once.
Most of these trick I performed for a niece and nephew; 7 and 10, respectively.

One-handed Cutting the Aces:
This is a recent card trick I was able to pick up. It's an interesting hybrid of card flourish and magic trick. I used it as a lead up to Ghost Deck. But I realized that it was angle sensitive because the nephew caught the 3rd ace flashing. Audience control. It was my first time trying the trick for anyone so it was a good reminded that 'Hey! Get better and checking your tricks for angle sensitive problems!'
While I was able to complete the trick, I do need more practice to get the trick to work a lot smoother and faster, as I'm still having issues with card clumping.

Magic Works: Ghost Deck
I ended up doing this trick 3 times. It was a hit. However, the nephew THOUGHT he saw the gimmick (he didn't). I use a deck of cards and have kids pick one at random. This was they have something corporeal and it covers the 'I forgot my card' issues (as the instructions for the trick have a spectator 'think' of a card)
I do lay out all 3 of the sides that have their card and their reaction after try number 2 was 'well of course you can see what card we have! It's all right here on the slide.
At least the patter and everything else directed itself away from the ACTUAL gimmick, bit it showed me that maybe next time, I place all the 'yes' slides back inside the sleeve the trick comes with.

Bird Watcher Too
I did this one twice. One for the niece and one for the nephew. I'm glad this was a mental magic trick that did EXPONENTIALLY better than Ghost Deck. Because of Ghost Deck, the curious nephew figured there was some way I could figure the bird on the chart. He did inspect the cards afterwards and tried looking for HOW the card is marked. He couldn't find it. But holy hell, the fact that he was able to figure and link that together made me scared as hell. the kid is smart. And that's a good thing because it's giving me ideas of how to rework some of these tricks. I'm not sure how to rework Bird Watcher Too other than to NOT do it more than once.

Telekinetic Nut
I do this trick more for the adults who know about my disability situation. The patter I go with is how 'I've been exposed to the burn pits in the middle east so many times, I can do this!'
It gets a lot of nervous laughs, but it worked!
I need to figure a different way of hiding the gimmick.
This is when I need to start listening to Simon and the more experienced people on this forum of how they get get these things to work.

Burglar Ball
I ended up doing this once, seeing how I realized a bit late in the game that I need to do a trick once--MAYBE twice and then put it away. As well as it being an angle sensitive trick, I made sure that I did it WITHOUT having the niece and nephew on both sides as I was doing them. I did this one for the niece only--even had her push down on the ball (I have noticed that even having others push the ball, no one picks up what is ACTUALLY happening). Mind was blown, all is well!


Clean Cut
I have always had trouble on the patter for this one and ended up doing a surprisingly great impromptu presentation for it. I did this for the niece only. The patter went along the lines of making a bracelet or a necklace and how I'm cutting the rope too short or too long. I'm using the Clean Cut routine that's found on youtube because it's that amazing to use. The nice told me that she SAW *something*. I'm not sure what because I MADE SURE prior to performance that the gimmick wouldn't give me any visual or performance problems or questioning, so I'm not really sure what she meant.
The trick went well, but I'm still perplexed by what she 'saw'.

Magical Sneakers
I have heard that card tricks are dangerous to perform for kids. So my 'Cutting the Aces' didn't work. Magical Sneakers has that bold and colorful aspect to it that appeals to kids--both young AND old. I did this trick SIX times.
Yeah.
I did Color Test due to the interactiveness of the trick and how it places more emphasis on the spectator ACTUALLY getting the ONLY matching pair.
Both the niece and nephews minds were blown the first two times. After that, we were all having fun seeing what color pair everyone was going to get. I had to put it away because it was getting progressively harder to find a way to misdirect them in order to reload the trick.
I'm glad I listened to John Mazza on his recommendation for this trick.
Even though I know how the trick works, I'm still amazed that it works every time.

Magical Burger
Even through I have been working on a method for Happy Burger that not only removed the gimmick from the equation--it allows spectators to take more than one card; I decided against it because I figure that people will call out 'marked cards' (even though they aren't). So I opted for Instant Burger instead.
I like Instant Burger because of the interactiveness of it. And maybe I need to work on it, but Prediction Burger has a sort of 'sucker trick' feel to it.
Long story short, Instant Burger was a hit, the only problem is that the nephew was watching my hands the entire time and was ALMOST able to replicate what I was doing.
Oi vey! Either I need to learn how to do Prediction Burger or I need to figure out a more complex shuffling method in case this happens again.
I love Magical Burger because of the complexities it brings to the table; but man, I'm having a devil of a time with it.
At this point, I'm actually going to LISTEN to John Mazza when he says 'it's an OKAY trick. Not the best.'