A Brand New Year

Well, I did it. I actually took last week off, and it was great. Got a chance to catch up on my sleep, saw a few movies, and basically did what I wanted to and when I wanted to. I couldn't have asked for a more perfect week off. I will admit that coming to work on Monday was a bit of a challenge. It was like I was out of sync. By the end of the day, though, I was back in full swing. So many of you sent us Christmas cards and New Year's greetings and well-wishes, and I just want to say how much I appreciate your thoughtfulness.

On New Year's Day, my son, Cole and 18 other students from his college embarked on a 1 month overseas Jan term. He left from San Francisco at 2:00 PM Thursday afternoon and landed in Italy 3:00 PM Friday. While there, they will be studying art and architecture for approximately 2 1/2 weeks and then on to Paris they will go. He will return the first part of February, just in time to celebrate his 21st birthday!

In 2 weeks, on the 24th of January, my oldest daughter, Renee, will be getting married. I must tell you that this is a little hard for me to believe. It doesn't seem like it was that long ago that I was holding her in my arms as a baby. Both Betty and I are very excited for her, and we could not be happier about our future son in-law; he is very kind and truly a great guy. I know they'll be very happy together. I'll keep you updated on the wedding plans, and of course I'll have plenty of wedding photos to share with you afterwards.

Here at Hocus Pocus, we've been so busy, it's like Christmas is still just around the corner. Lots of new items and even some hard-to-find antiques and collectibles have been hitting the door daily.



One project we're really excited about is from our good friend, and in my opinion, one of magic's biggest best-kept secrets, Michael Boden. As you know, Michael has been so generous this past year by supplying us with many free online downloads. If you've not yet seen them, make sure you head over to the Free Downloads category within the online shop and download them for yourself. I think once you've checked them out, I'm sure you'll agree with me that Michael is one clever guy! But he's saved the best for last; we are very excited to announce that Michael's first DVD release, a 2-disc DVD set, Beautiful Moves, is now available exclusively at Hocus Pocus. With a very cool online demo, you should check it out and see what all the commotion is all about HERE.

Now that January is here, it's that dreaded inventory time. With thousands of items to count, I've decided to make a special offer to all our online members. It will be quite an incredible deal for you and hopefully, afterwards, there will be less inventory to count. If you are an online member, be sure to look out for a very special email I'll be sending sometime this weekend... If you're not an online member, now is the time to sign up -- you'll be glad you did. You'll find the JOIN button located in the right hand column within the online store. Trust me, sign up today.

The new Masters of Illusion television show aired for the first time Monday night at 9:00 PM on MyNetworkTV. This is the first of 13 weeks of new shows featuring various performers in a one-hour format. The first episode was jam-packed with performers featuring all types of magic: illusion, close-up, street, and even geek magic. I thought the first offering was pretty good and the talent lineup for future shows is top-notch. If you missed the first episode, make sure you mark your calendar for this Monday's episode. Check your local listings for more information.

How many of you have made your New Year's resolutions? I know I've made mine, and believe it or not, I've already started putting them into effect with great success. I'm excited to see what 2009 brings; I truly believe it will be the year of change. This weekend, I plan to check out the new Clint Eastwood film and spend some time with my daughter before she gets married. You know, father of the bride and all...

Until next time,

Paul