Christmas Stocking

by Professor Spellbinder

Effect:

The Wizard talks to the children about how Elves use the chimney of a house to pay surprise visits around Christmas time to check up on their behavior, and how that Very Special Elf known as Santa Claus uses the chimney to bring them presents.

The Wizard opens up a collapsible hamper (Dollar Store) to represent a chimney, reaches into it and begins a production of a PVC Pipe Candy cane "hat rack prop", a spiral evergreen garland hanging Christmas Tree, a sparkly silver garland to decorate the tree, an evergreen wreath, a big red bow for the wreath, springs of holly, a "Santa hat," and other things that you find appropriate that will fit in the load. The PVC pipe Candy cane "hat rack prop" is the key to holding all of this stuff so it can be displayed. The final load is a large mesh-front Christmas Stocking, similar in appearance to those sold in candy stores before Christmas (they are usually pre-filled with a variety of candies and small toys). However, the stocking that the Wizard produces is empty.

How to make all this stuff is described in the article.

The hamper bag production is something new I have added this year (2005). Previously, all I did was the Christmas Stocking effect, which I now describe.

Pointing out that there is nothing in my mesh Christmas stocking, I then snap my fingers and a gold Christmas ornament appears in the stocking. I hang the Santa Hat inside the hamper (formerly I used to hang it on my table top), upside down, and drop the gold ornament into it. Another gold ornament appears inside the stocking, which I pretend not to see, until the children point it out to me. I keep removing these ornaments as they magically appear and place them into the hat. Finally, ornaments stop appearing in the stocking, and I remove a chain of gold ornaments from the hat, which I then drape around the spiral tree.

Now I take the stocking and hold it up so all can see. Suddenly, it fills up with candy and small toys, just like the mesh stockings in the stores. I reach down into the stocking and remove a lollipop which I will use later in another effect... but that's for another article. The stocking is then hung up on my Candy cane "hat rack prop" for display and this effect is over.

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