As winter wraps us up in white
And fairy reindeer rise in flight
Let this Linking Ring of rhyme
Draw us close at Christmas-time
Dispensing literary joys
To all good magic girls and boys.
We start by wishing happy Yule
To Stewart James and Steven Youell.
Feliz Navidad to Juan Tamariz,
Silly Willy and Darwin Ortiz.
Alors! Let's wish Joyeux Noel
To Christian Fechner and Nani Darnell.
Aussi a heartfelt Top of the Season
To Bodine Belasco and chum Doc Eason.
A picture postcard Christmas Day
For the Blackstones, Harry and Gaye,
As Bing sings Mele Kalikimaka
To Mama-san and Ton Onosaka.
This time of year let hearts be glad
For Amy Stevens and her dad,
For Bruce Cervon and Larry Jennings,
And (still our favs) the Douglas Hennings.
In unison all sing Hosannah
For the Ammars, Mike and Hannah.
Repair to parties, fetes and dances
And take the in-laws, Glenn and Frances.
We have no Yuletide feelings warmer
Than those for Jade and Robert Farmer,
For both the Allens, Harry and Stan --
The jokester and the MAGIC man.
Gaze upon a Christmas star
And think on Jonathan and Char,
Mahka Tendo and Rudy Coby,
Kevin James, Roberto Giobbi.
Let Christmas doves of peace take wing
For Bob and Mac and Kevin King,
For Tabby Crabb, with broken thumb,
And (ja!) for Europe's Manfred Thumm.
Upon the roof! Let out a whoop
For the entire Paul Gertner Group.
Channing Pollock! How ya doin'?
Let's hoist a glass to young Greg Frewin.
Prepare some egg nog in your home
For movie actor Bill McComb,
For Fulmination's Gary O
And L.A.'s Tony Giorgio.
Create greetings on your Atari
For T.C. Tahoe and Geno Munari,
The Brad and Barb and Nicholas Burts,
Kreskin and Krenz and Gary Kurtz
Take time to write a Christmas line
To the Amazing Ballantine,
Kaufman and Greenberg, L and L,
Tommy Wonder, Lynnette Chappel.
Let there be no Christmas Grinch
For Martha Stevens or Stephen Minch,
As we sing countless fa la la las
To Mexico's Joaquin Ayalas.
Invoke a special Christmas carol
For the Martinez -- Chuck and Daryl,
For T.A. Waters and Jon Brunelle,
And Leo Kostka, medium swell.
Compose a holiday concerto
For Michaels Close and Diliberto
To play at this year's Christmas dinner
For Jane Monsour and Michael Skinner.
And may we all do sleight-of-hand
Half as well as R. Lavand,
Kenner or Nash or Roth or Carney,
Or the legendary Scarne.
Let us all ring Christmas bells
For Dr. Bill and Becki Wells,
For Senor Wences, Milt and Arlene,
Carl Andrews, Jr., and Marshall Brodien.
Some modern chimes for Dante (Bill's son)
And Ron and Mark and each Greg Wilson.
(Imaginary bells will peal
For Eugene Burger and Robert Neale.)
Santa! Leave comic gaffs at Stephen Spill's
And autographs for Jennifer Sils.
White tiger kittens on Christmas morn
For our pals, Fischbacker and Horn.
May your sleigh be overladen
With apparatus for Whit Haydn.
Mount the rooftop, deck the halls
And bring Earl Nelson billiard balls.
Shower decks of cards upon us
Esp. for Persi Diaconis
And shhh! secret as a mouse,
Neil Lester decks for Roger Klause.
Leave dancing canes at Peter Pit's
And coal (!) for Jerry Sadowitz,
Reserving goodies in your sack
For Terry Nosek and Frank Zak.
Juggle parcels through the snow
For Michaels Davis and Goudeau,
And, funnier than Tommy Smothers,
The Flying Karamazov Brothers.
A double sack of books dispatch
To Charlie Randall and Richard Hatch,
New zippers for the Great Flydini
And puns for Aldo Colombini.
A hundred million blessings (green)
For Lance and Peter (Burton/Reveen).
More Letterman stunts for Penn and Teller
And legal aid for Randi and Geller.
Tenyo gadgets stuffed in socks
For Jasper Marshall and Karell Fox
(And speaking of our favorite codgers
Let us not forget Mike Rogers).
Leave Jinger cookies 'neath the tree
For young Mark Kalin and Hank Lee.
New baby chicks for J. Ace Palmer
And Marlo tricks for Racherbaumer.
And finally, dear Santa Claus,
Bring us all beaucoup applause
And grant us each this Silent Night
A photo session with Anne White.
Romantic tidings to Melinda Saxe,
Tom and Stephen, Erika and Max,
Austria's Christa and Otto Wesseley,
Harry Anderson and Leslie,
Florida's Barbara and Bill Malone,
Rich Marotta and Twila Zone.
And special Christmas love bestow
On Claudia Schiffer and her beau.
Under the mistletoe save a kiss
For Connie Boyd and Jamy Swiss,
For Princess Tenko and Scott Cervine,
Tina Lenert and Lennart Green.
For Joanie Spina -- what a dancer!
And Eddie Fields, that old romancer.
Plant a smooch on bro. Bill Derman
And (just for Penn's sake) Uma Thurman.
And lightly on the cheek, a peck
For Cheri Soleil and Joycee Beck.
On New Year's Eve we'll dance lambada
(In our dreams) with Lisa Shimada.
Let's Charleston and Electric Slide
With Lisa Menna and Jeff McBride.
Rock and Roll at Andre Previn's
With (whew!) Sophie Ashton-Evans.
(Let Guy Lombardo music play
For auld Steve Wynn and Ricky Jay.)
And later on we'll pop a cork
With Peter Biro and Scotty York.
Let's pour champagne and drink a gallon
As we network with Don Alan,
Sharing laughs at FISM votes
And Martin Lewis anecdotes.
For those departed, shed a tear
And remember them with cheer.
All good things we know will pass
And so, at midnight, raise a glass
And share with Irene Larsen, bless her,
A year's-end toast to the Professor.
And as we end this list poetic
May our good wishes prove prophetic.
Apologies to those omitted
Whose names for perfect rhymes weren't fitted.
We love you all, herein or no
For giving us your Magic Show.
Support your dealers, hone your skills
And long may magic pay the bills!
GREETINGS, FRIENDS!