Admittedly, it's Packed with Gibberish, Over-the-Top Hospitality and Self-Help Jargon. Yet I Truly Love Meghan's Holiday Special.
No matter the time of year, it's constantly open season for criticism on the Meghan Markle's televisual offering, With Love, Meghan. Commentators, expert and amateur alike, have rarely been so united as when gleefully ripping the series' earlier episodes to shreds. The common opinion seemed to be a bigger monarchy-related faux pas had hardly ever taken place than the notorious snack re-labeling incident.
Now, in the spirit of a holiday maverick, she has returned for another round with a "Christmas Special" (or a yuletide episode). However on this occasion, things have shifted. The standard components audiences anticipate – meaningless jargon salads, intense hospitality – remain, but set of a Christmas special, it all clicks into place. The elements have slid perfectly; it's a ideal seasonal storm.
By this point, Meghan has become the eccentric aunt at Christmas celebrations everywhere – providing unsolicited, unnecessary advice, and delivering the periodic peculiar declaration. ("I love spinach!" … "A tradition has to have a beginning." … "A tree is part of my memory and love of the holiday season.") She's an interesting figure, but her presence is familiar and oddly reassuring. And she appears content; she's inflicting a bit of damage.
She knows her all subtle gestures, utterance and glance will be analyzed and judged, but nonetheless looks carefree and too blessed to be stressed.
Perhaps this is the first occasion in history where that clichéd phrase – "Ignore them, they're just jealous" – might be true. Because, in all honesty, all aspects in Meghan's Holiday Celebration honestly feels lovely. Yes, it's all cringily ultra-extra, foolishness and flamboyant – but isn't that just what Christmas is about? And the advice she gives might be laughable, but the example she sets seems authentically beautifully curated.
Anything she attempts, she pulls off with style. Her recipes looks tasty, the festive decoration she makes is gorgeous, her gifts are almost too pretty to open. Nothing is mediocre or visually unappealing – even the way she ties her apron is artful and chic. She doesn't throw a dish in the oven, it "takes a twirl", and she wraps wrapping paper like an origami guru. She also seems to be completely savoring herself the entire time. How could any cynical observer not be won over, filled with festive joy and left with a intense desire for personalized Christmas crackers or a vegetable display where greens is arranged in the shape of a festive circle?
Meghan used to pretend for a living, naturally, but nonetheless, after the level of scrutiny she has weathered from the moment she started dating Prince Harry, a theoretical combination of Meryl Streep and Judi Dench would have difficulty behaving this authentically. Her refusal to change or even moderate her routine, even though it being so constantly, widely parodied, is weirdly comforting. In our volatile world, here is something we can count on: Meghan will remain herself, whatever happens. We will always know our position with her.
If you're not yet convinced by her brand, a thought that will surely come as a relief: you are not obligated to. The UK has abolished mandatory conscription anymore, and if there were, it would be unlikely to include watching With Love, Meghan: Holiday Celebration. If, conversely, you decide to tune in and are consumed by jealousy about her flawless Christmas, there is hope either. Whether you're a royal or a data administrator, no kid truly appreciates the time and energy their parent does in December. So you can find comfort by picturing her children's faces when they unfold a handwritten message that says, 'I love you because you are brave,' from a DIY festive calendar, instead of a sweet treat.
