Well tonight Book 7 goes on sale all over the country and I got my wristband which allows me to purchase a book at midnight. Borders is having parties all over and the one that I reserved my book at is too. I called to find out if there mine be a magician performing and spoke to the most bored and fed up voice on the phone. " No, but some of the staff are gonna juggle or something, I don't know..."

No when I say bored and fed up, I mean this is not a voice the you want to be answering the phone. I call the store again later to talk to someone who might be a little more helpful and into what is going on. Can you believe it, I get the same voice. Bored, this is lame, GGGHAD!, I am soooo not enjoying this... voice.

All I can say is that I had to call back a few more times doing different voices, but asking real honest questions. Every call throughout the day, I got the same boring voice that sounded like they could not wait to get off the phone. I am really surprised that Borders has this person answering the phone and no I wasn't crank calling them.

Felixjr

Who can blame them, they've probably had calls all week about the book and are completely wizarded out.

I'm doing a bit of muggle magic for the midnight queues.

George

You get what you pay for. I'm not sure of the wages at Borders but they can't be all that much. Most sales jobs pay pretty low wages and the Big Box Bookstores tend to hire off the street and thus not get the higher caliber bibliophile sales help one would more typically find in an independent or specialty booksellers.

I'm performing my Harry Potter act at a big locally owned bookstore that is throwing one of the largest book release events in the area. But then since thy have a great commons area complete with a full size working stage they are one of the only bookshops that ave the facilities to do so.

A fellow magician friend of mine has a release party to perform at as well and they're sticking him in a corner of the kids section in the store so I feel lucky to have the space I've got to work in.

It's going to be a fun night.

Ask to speak to a manager. I'm sure they would like to have someone to keep people in the store longer, but never thought of it.

The longer the kids are in the store, more potter stuff is likely to leave.

I had a lot of fun at the Potter gig.
Came up with a load of stupid gags.

For Spring Raccoon:
"I call him Ron, cos he's weasely."

"Wingardium Leviosa" then chuck him in the air.

"He does impressions.
Bookworm",Put him inside a book "sometimes he make a little bookmark in there".
"Speed reader".Open book waggle head from side to side.
"Surfer" put him on book and surf.

Magic:
Had some fun insisting on signing books for people then "accidentally" putting my pen through the first page.

Balloons: Using kazoo to kick start a balloon broom...

George

I'm glad I took tonight off. I want to just enjoy this with my kids....

A library I was at today isn't doing a party...but most others are...I had to wonder about what I've heard on Christian radio about the big "hoopla" over Potter. It's been going on since the whole monopoly of it took off some years ago as I'm sure many here know...
I heard a local preacher on the radio ripping into Harry Potter too. As a Christian, and a man of the 21st century, I have to wonder why some Christians feel threatened by fiction. I keep hearing the words "the only thing to fear..is fear itself".

Perhaps it's because the Potter books are a better read than their book of choice

Read an article today where Rowling said she had gotten a letter from a Vicar wanting here to stop having Christmas trees in the great hall at Hogwarts because those in the wizarding world were all pagans.
I wonder if he knew where Christmas trees came from originally and what they really mean?

Although I disagree with your first sentence, the diff. between me and many are the fact I respect your right to have that opinion...and that is the crux of the matter I believe.

You are most correct, Ygdrassil (sp?) is the origin of the Christmas tree...and I believe it far predates Christmas by at least a thousand years or more. The Vicar may also not have known about the New King being born at Yule in some traditions...replacing the Old King that had been ritually "sacrificed" at Samhain....
Then there is the cunning alignment made by the Roman church of "symbollically similar" events....politics, politics, politics...

As a Christian, I took great offense to the fact that some ministers were attacking a work of fiction by comparing it in essence of "importance" with the Bible...to me a work of nonfiction. How can a Christian compare a work of fiction to nonfiction? This escapes me...
However, as one who is very familiar with the ancient world through various familial ties, I personally enjoy the beauty that can occur by appreciating multiple traditions...
It would seem the people of the past could also appreciate that one must not always throw out the old to have room for the new...both can exist, as one was a rung of the ladder that was necessary to reach the next....
Great to read your post, Payne, and very appreciated.
Chris

Your off track here. I know where you are "trying" to lead people here (that Christams trees are pagan) but get your facts in order.

Yes, before modern Christianity trees were used for many reasons.
Some people even worshiped trees.

But trees were used by people for many reasons, and those reason differed throughout different regions. To say that one tribe of people use to worship a tree is not a fair reason to say the a Christmas tree is a derivative of that!

Read more about the use & history of trees at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas_tree

It is believed that Martin Luther (Father of modern Christianity) was the first to light a tree using real candles. He was far from pagan!

So the origin of the CHRISTMAS trees could be nothing but Christian.
The origin of using trees for anything other than pancake syrup, well that has many roots dating back many years and taking you on different paths.

Let's not confuse & lump things together like you are doing.

As a devout Christian I have NO problems with Harry Potter, and I suggest those rumbling so-called Christians look at their own Chronicles of Narnia to discover much of this same type of fiction!

Or Lord of the Rings.

I figure if any Author has kids reading books over 150 pages, without pictures, they should be given a medal or an award. Oh wait, she has!!

Oh, the days I like being Liberal.

RevJohn

Ashley, I'm not going to argue, but as a Lutheran myself, and a person with a Minor in Folklore (a branch of study I've never quit), that tree Martin Luther lit up was a custom in Germany long before him. Keep in mind Martin Luther embraced the old as it's indeed how we reach the new. No, he wasn't pagan, he was respectful.
Scroll down more on the page you provided a link for...look for "Ygdrassil" (spellings vary depending on what source you have...some of my books here in my own library in my study are over 300 years old and spell it very strangely indeed)...
Your link is appreciated, though, please know this! Are you Lutheran?
As I hinted above, we find that indeed many old customs from the past intertwine beautifully with customs of the present ("present" meaning the time of Christ and the spread of Christianity since it's inception). I think it wonderful! And yes, Christmas trees ARE Christian..and an adaptation and respectful continuation of reverence for our ancestors before....

RevJohn,
Amen to that, brother! If it gets them to read....that's a great thing indeed!
The party we had here at our library last night was better than any bookstore could have pulled off. The details, games, long table in the great hall upstairs, candles lit....(we have a very old library, so it feels like a castle)...we even had a "sorting ceremony" before the games began...and feast at the end before announcing the winners of the housecup (which I'm proud to say my team, Ravenclaw, won!) then we celebrated at midnight with party whistles and party poppers..then the winner of the new book was drawn from a cauldron....
Gave me lots of great ideas for parties, I'll tell you that!

Hope everyone had fun doing Potter Events....(Aside please don't post the ending as I haven't read/or got one yet) love the "Weasly joke)

For the past 8 years I have worked with middle and high school students.(The age of the Potter Series) Take away the wands and wizards..walmart..er wal-laaa teenagers.....

Harris

You da' man, Harris!
I actually did NOT perform last night, except one impromptu effect. It's my 37th Birthday tomorrow, so attending our special, and last, Harry Potter party with my daughter was one of my presents! I've always had to "work" these events, and was pleased as punch to just go and have a good time after a long day of library shows! Many of my fellow fathers and their wives attended, and all of us had a great time! It was a very special time for our little community, especially with it being the last of the books....

Hi Chris,

Bro, I don't want to argue either. No need for it. There are many things the world doesn't know and only takes educated guesses at. I don't like educated guesses. They are often wrong. Please don't fall into traps the world sets for you.

I know about yggdrasil and it's mythology. They used a tree with animals in it. Regardless, what they did with trees has nothing to do with Christmas. That very article even states that although the myth predates Christianity, any cross-referencing was likely influenced by Christianity and was compared afterward. In other words Christianity didn't cross reference yggdrasil, but that the world tries to do that now.

Here is one article on Martin Luther:
Martin Luther began the tradition of decorating trees to celebrate Christmas. One crisp Christmas Eve, about the year 1500, he was walking through snow-covered woods and was struck by the beauty of a group of small evergreens. Their branches, dusted with snow, shimmered in the moonlight. When he got home, he set up a little fir tree indoors so he could share this story with his children. He decorated it with candles, which he lighted in honor of Christ's birth.

Do you see his reasoning for a tree, and for lighting it?
Do you see he used an evergreen and the ancient pagans used an Ash.
That does not say he respected pagan tradition, it says he started one of his own.

Genesis says: What you meant for evil against me, God meant for good.

We can take something that once belonged to evil and turn it good. Again, I do not believe Harry Potter or JK Rowling are evil. I think they are very creative.

Here's some enlightenment as well:

History & origin of the Christmas tree.
http://www.theholidayspot.com/christmas/......tree.htm


Thanks.

And thus is responsible for the horrible deaths of untold thousands in Christmas tree related fires over the centuries. The pagans at least had the common sense to leave their decorated trees outside where they belonged and not hang lit candles all over them

Yes, the Christmas tree as we now know it is a Christian affectation but it clearly has its roots (pun intended) in the ancient pagan heritage. One of the reasons Christianity became so popular so quickly, apart from having the benefit of the Roman Empire to spread it was its ability to absorb portions of other belief systems. Need a deity for your sailors to call upon in times of trouble? We'll just morph Poseidon into St. Nicholas. Need a festival to summon forth the sun in the darkest days of winter? Well celebrate the birthday of a different kind of sun but use the pagan trappings of candles and evergreens to make it seem familiar. Ever wonder why all the Christian Holidays fall on strangely similar pagan festival days?
Nothing wrong with using pagan born trappings for your holidays. Heck I even put up a tree in December. One should however not scream too loudly when the pagans might want one or two things back.

However getting back on subject. My Potter release party went quite well. Had several hundred crowded around the stage and several more hundred watching from their place in the book line. The place went crazy when I produced the book at midnight. Giving off a resounding cheer as I held the book triumphantly hight in the air. All in all a good send off for the final book book.

Someone videotaped the HP event I was at. Look for the Wizard and his apprentice, after that you can turn it off. The kid filming me didn't shoot my magic trick right, he keep moving the camera around. Check it out: http://youtube.com/watch?v=tZUk0uYEXx8

See what you think

Felixjr

Not exactly something for your website now is it?
especially when he says, "Let me ask you something, would you do her?"

Thankfully he behaved in front of your daughter!

He was actually trying to make fun of everyone...read the comments he put beside the video, it says:

"I went to Borders to find a bunch of lunatics with wizard hats waiting for their copies of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. So I immediately called my dad to bring my camera so I could share this phenomenon with all of you. None of these interviews are at all set up, and I didn't coach anyone to say anything. I know that it means nothing when I say that, but you're just going to have to trust me on this one."

On the side of that youtube was other videos of people going to the bookstores the night of the release and telling people spoilers from the book! How low is that?

I had a great time performing at a Potter event, and it was rather lucrative.

But jumping on the whole pagan/Christian/Harry Potter thread, I just finished reading the book today. I for one was amazed at all of the christian parallels in the book.

Let's face it, could she have done any more to make Harry out to be a Christ-figure?

Seems like we're posting Potter Night stories here...so I thought I'd add mine. You'll get a kick out of it, I'm sure...

So I took a big bite and did two gigs. One at a Borders and one at a Barnes & Noble (nothing like playing both sides of the fence, huh?). I did the Borders first, then, after I was through (at about 11 PM), I headed over to my local B&N and did some walkaround with my Axtell Smoking Dragon.

The dragon was an immense hit. The crowd at the Borders skewed younger, so they loved the dragon. The crowd at the B&N was a little older (15, 16, 17) and when they saw the puppet they were like "eh". But when they saw it smoke they completely freaked out and loved it. Took TONS of pictures with it.

So I get to the B&N and the first time I do the smoke a cop shows up out of no where. He's a big strapping guy. HUGE. And he asks what it was that I was shooting. I explained it was just a harmless smoke made of mineral oil (true). He smiled and I moved on.

A few minutes later I'm in the back of the store. The place was packed (the B&N folks were smart enough just tell people to get in line, they let the thousand or so people mill around until 11:45), and when I got to the back of the store I was doing it again and I turn around and who's standing there but the cop again. And he says, "You know, you should cut a hole in its mouth and hook up a water pistol to it so you can shoot people".

This time I give a forced smile, agree with the man who was carrying a gun that it was a good idea, and I move on.

I go to the opposite side of the store where the Café is and I go around there showing off the dragon. I'm at a table and I have someone scratch the dragon's belly. When they do I have him smoke to the ceiling. I turn and...yup...there's the cop. Who says "Hey, I can do that too..." He pulls out his can of mace and starts to shake it up, laughing.

I smile..look for my newphew, and tell him it's time to hit the road.

--Jon