Organisational magic and the making of Christmas: On glamour, grottos and enchantment

Abstract

Drawing on qualitative research into the design, delivery and organisation of Christmas grottos, this article offers a critical understanding of the role that a functional belief in organisational magic plays in their manufacture and operation. Utilising classic anthropological research into the cultural production of magical belief systems, I attend to how such magic is produced through a network of sociomaterial practices conducive to the commercial values of the Anglo-American Christmas. I additionally draw on contemporary literature on aesthetic and atmospheric organisation in order to analyse the practical accomplishment of organisational magic as a mode of captivation and re-enchantment. This article concludes by emphasising the increasingly commercial utility of a functional belief in magic as an organisational resource, highlighting the need for further empirical scrutiny, as well as conceptual and theoretical analysis.