Holiday Magic

"Magic." It's a small word that fills our minds with sumptuous images, hopes, and dreams. We think that magic will turn our lives around. Magic will make customers come into our store. Magic will give us the best holiday season ever.

Magic is one of the reasons that millions of children love the Harry Potter books. Magic seems simple and empowers seemingly average children. Most people feel that they have one special thing that sets them apart from all the others. They know that they are not the "Muggles" — or nonmagical people — described by J. K. Rowling.

The Harry Potter books touched off a renewed interest in all things magical. And the movie Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, due out in November, should have everyone clamoring for tickets. You can use this magical phenomenon to your advantage in the coming holiday season.

Every concept has its share of visual images, and magic is no exception. Dig into your magician's hat, and you'll find lots of fun images that you can use to liven up your holiday decor.

The foremost magical image is the star, which can be used in hundreds of different ways. Here are a few:

• Create magical windows by sticking stars of different sizes on the glass and rear wall of your display window. (If the window doesn't have a rear wall, hang a piece of sheer, sparkly fabric from the ceiling and pull it taut to the floor.) Use 3", 5", and 8" vinyl stars, in any metallic or regular color you desire. Or use a combination of metallics and colors. Cover homosote or foam board with a metallic fabric that matches the stars. Use the boards to cover the floor of the window. Finally, add merchandise that complements the starry theme: for example, anything that is metallic or has a celestial theme. (One source for stars, The Sign Shop in Copiague, NY, can be contacted at (631) 226-4145 or www.thesignshopinc.com.)
• To decorate a multipane window, cut pieces of vinyl to fit in the glass panes. Cut a star shape out of the center of each vinyl panel. Cover every windowpane, or just a few. Then, with monofilament, hang gift items so that they can be seen through the star cut-outs. Focus your window lights on the hanging gifts. The gifts don't have to be thematically related, since each item will stand on its own and the overall star pattern will create the theme.
• For a simple, clean, and elegant window treatment, place upright cut-out stars at intervals along your window floor. (Stars cut from 3" gatorboard will be self-standing.) First paint the stars a metallic color and sprinkle them with clear sparkles. After you arrange the stars, cover the window floor with the remaining sparkles. Place one piece of fabulous merchandise in front of each star.
• Hang metallic stars of different sizes from your store's ceiling at various heights. They will create a magical feeling as they twirl and catch the lights.

Another magical image involves things that float in the air. One particularly effective "flotation device" is the plastic globe containing merchandise and suspended from the ceiling of the display window. The 18" and 24" globes come apart. Place sparkly "pixie dust" or cotton batting sprinkled with sparkles in the base of the globe. Then place a gift item or two on the sparkling bed. The size and weight of the items should be commensurate with the size of the globe. (Carol Barnhart Inc. of New York, reachable at (212) 645-5130, carries globes that are strong enough to do the job.) To hang the globes, use monofilament fishing line with a 25- to 50-pound test rating.

In the Harry Potter books, owls serve as magical messengers. Try painting a number of small birds (fake, of course) with a metallic gold paint. Hot-glue a beautiful ribbon to each of their beaks and let the ribbons fall gracefully down to gift items you have selected. Place each gift item on a riser that matches the color of the ribbon. If you have clear acrylic risers, cut a pad out of foam board for the top of the riser and cover it with a material that matches the ribbon.

Lights are a wonderful way to attract attention and create a magical aura. Strings of little white lights are always fun, but they've practically been done to death. Instead, use red or blue lights to lend a magical and interesting energy to your window displays. Paired with gift items in light colors, a dark backboard punctuated with twinkling lights can be a wonderful look.

To create this effect, drill random holes in a 4'x8' sheet of gatorboard. Paint the board a deep purple or navy blue. Once the dark paint has dried, water down some white glue (to a consistency suitable for application with a paintbrush) and paint it onto the board. Sprinkle clear sparkles (or matching colored ones) over the wet glue.

After the glue dries, stick the lights through the holes, leaving the cord to fall behind the board. If you need to hide the back of the board, glue 2"x 2" pieces of wood to each end of the gatorboard; then attach a piece of foam board to the wood pieces.

If this is all a bit too "Martha" for you, here's the easiest possible display: Group white artificial trees of different heights together, and use glittery white fabric as a background. Light the trees with white (or red or blue) lights. Wrap gift boxes with the background fabric and tie with matching ribbon. Then bring together your most fabulous gifts, using the boxes as risers for the smaller items. Presto! You've created a monochromatic, dramatic window that will sell.

And that may be all the magic that you need.