THIS Should Be Your Family’s New Holiday Tradition!
What started as a grandmother's secret is now a holiday tradition for families across the country. Learn the heartwarming story behind the Magic Light Wand — and how this Memphis family is bringing magic to St. Jude, 500 wands at a time. Image: Magic Light Wand
The holidays are all about family traditions, long-held or brand new. Whether it’s opening a single gift on Christmas Eve, attending midnight church services, or caroling with the neighbors, traditions are what bring such joy and spirit to the season. And there is something irresistible about adding magic touches to our traditions: Santa, the Elf on the Shelf … and Magic Light Wand!
Imagine handing your child a wand and watching them light the Christmas tree with a simple wave — no fumbling behind furniture, no reaching for outlets. The Magic Light Wand is a wand-shaped wireless remote that lets kids (and adults!) control their tree lights from up to 60 feet away. Wave it, and the lights turn on. Wave again, and they fade or blink in one of five magical patterns. And yes, it makes whimsical sound effects that make every flip of the wrist feel like pure holiday enchantment.
Now available in six colors — gold, red, silver, pink, purple, and blue, with sleek chrome finishes — this premium upgrade to the Magic Light Wand is not only more durable, it has four light modes (on/off, fade on/off, continuous fade, and a five-pattern blink mode), three frequency dials for easy pairing, and a 1,000-watt receiver that works with a wireless A/C wall plug. (Shhh, don’t tell the kids!)
The new pairing capabilities take things even further, allowing you to create a whole-home holiday system with multiple receivers on different trees and wands placed strategically throughout the house. Imagine controlling the tree in the living room, the one in the kids’ playroom, and the garland on the mantel — all from wherever you happen to be standing.
But how did this tradition start?
A few years ago, Gay Hammond started a new family tradition: Having her grandchildren light the Christmas tree with a flip of the wrist. It all started after her husband, Romulus “Rommy” Morgan Hammond III, performed as the “Fairy Godmother of Christmas Present” in Fat Cat Follies, a fundraising event for Playhouse on the Square in Memphis, TN.
During the show, someone handed him a magic wand. When Gay later found it lying around the house, she began asking her grandkids if they wanted to turn on the Christmas tree lights with this “magic wand.” As the children waved the wand, she surreptitiously clicked the remote that controlled the lights, and they all believed they were lighting the tree!
When her son Josh found out what she had been doing, he was ready to go straight to a patent attorney. His entrepreneurial brain kicked into high gear as he envisioned his mom’s “Magic Light Wand” in stores across the country. With as much joy as this “Magic Light Wand” was adding to his own family, he knew it was a tradition that others needed to add a little more wonder to the season.
For two years, Josh did market research and paid particular attention to the types of holiday products different shops were carrying. Then, with his mom’s permission and help from his friend (and now, business partner), Billy Cochran, Josh had a prototype created.
Josh launched Magic Light Wand Company and received his first shipment in time for the 2013 holiday season. Gay and Josh first featured the product at local holiday shows such as the Junior League of Memphis Merry Marketplace before it was picked up by several regional chains and boutiques throughout the South.
After a five-year pause during Covid, they’ve relaunched with upgraded features and renewed energy.
A wave of the Magic Light Wand is not only magical, but it’s also now musical! The waving motion produces whimsical sound effects that delight children and adults alike.
Holidays for the Hammond family traditionally involve working. While many people are off on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve, these are two of the busiest days for the Hammond family business, Buster’s Liquors & Wines in Memphis (now with two locations, along with another new venture, Buster’s Butcher, next to their original location). For many years, Gay hosted an open house for friends and relatives on Christmas Day, one of the few times that her entire family was sure to be free.
“Even though the invitation said the event was from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m., the door didn’t usually close until late in the evening,” Gay says. While the open house is no longer an annual event, through Gay’s invention of the Magic Light Wand, this busy family still gets time to embrace the magic of Christmas.
However, with their success, Gay and Josh don’t want sales to overshadow an important part of their company’s mission: giving back to organizations that benefit children.
“Christmas is a magical time, and putting the lighting of the tree back into the hands of children is what the wand is all about,” Josh says.
So it makes sense why they have chosen to give back to children who could undoubtedly use some magic. When we spoke with Josh recently, his van for Buster’s Liquors & Wines was being loaded with over 500 wands that he was delivering the next day to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Le Bonheur’s Children’s Hospital, and Make-A-Wish Midsouth. Nearly in sync with the light of the wand, the kids’ faces shine when they hear the enchanting sound it makes as they wave it around!
With the wave of the Magic Light Wand, you can spark a new holiday tradition in your home, embrace the magic of the holiday season — and light your tree with ease and grandeur! And, no more fumbling behind furniture or reaching for outlets. Just a wand wave!
And after taking your tree down, consider using it as a nightlight or connecting it to your bedside lamp. Magic happens all year long!
StyleBlueprint readers: Buy three or more Magic Light Wands ($49 each), and receive free shipping. Click here to order.
This article is sponsored by Magic Light Wand.
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See the Magic Light Wand featured in our Memphis Local 50 Under $50 Gift List!
Liza Graves
As CEO of StyleBlueprint, Liza also regularly writes for SB. Most of her writing is now found in the recipe archives as cooking is her stress relief!