Admittedly, it's Brimming with Gibberish, Extreme Hosting and Self-Help Jargon. However, I Honestly Cherish Meghan's Christmas Special.
No matter the season, it's always fair game for criticism on the Meghan Markle's TV show, With Love, Meghan. Reviewers, both professional and armchair, have rarely been so united as when eagerly tearing the series' earlier episodes to pieces. The general consensus seemed to be a bigger monarchy-related faux pas had seldom occurred than the much-discussed snack re-labeling incident.
Currently, like a merry renegade master, she has returned for another round with a "Christmas Special" (or a holiday episode). But this time, things have shifted. The usual elements we've come to expect – vague self-help platitudes, extreme hosting – are still present, but set of a Christmas special, the purpose becomes clear. The puzzle has come into place; it's a perfect snow storm.
By this point, Meghan has become the eccentric aunt at Christmas celebrations everywhere – offering unasked-for guidance, and delivering the odd random outburst. ("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 a bit of a character, but her aura is known and strangely comforting. And she looks happy enough; she's not doing the slightest hurt.
She understands her all subtle gestures, utterance and gaze will be analyzed and criticised, but still appears unburdened and too blessed to be stressed.
It could be this is the only time in history where that clichéd phrase – "Pay no mind, it's only envy" – could actually be true. Because, let's face it, everything in Meghan's Holiday Celebration honestly feels lovely. Admittedly, it's all cringily ultra-extra, nonsense and over the top – but doesn't that represent exactly what the holiday season is all about? And the words she speaks might be ridiculous, but the walk she's walking genuinely looks shop-bought.
Whatever she attempts, she executes with style. Her recipes looks delicious, the holiday arrangement she creates is gorgeous, her presents are nearly too beautiful to open. Not a single thing is average or visually unappealing – including the way she secures her kitchen garment is creative and fashionable. She doesn't bung a meal in the oven, it "takes a twirl", and she creases gift paper like an paper-folding expert. She also seems to be genuinely relishing herself the entire time. How could any cynical observer not be charmed, overcome by seasonal cheer and left with a deep longing for handmade crackers or a vegetable display where broccoli is arranged in the shape of a wreath?
Meghan was once an actress for a living, obviously, but nonetheless, after the intensity of attention she has weathered from the moment she started dating Prince Harry, the love child of two legendary actresses would struggle to act this naturally. Her decision to change or even moderate her persona, even though it being so relentlessly, widely parodied, is weirdly comforting. In our unpredictable world, here is one thing we can depend on: Meghan will be like this, no matter what. We will consistently know what to expect with her.
If you're remaining skeptical of her brand, a reminder that will undoubtedly come as a comfort: you don't have to. There isn't national service anymore, and were it to return, it would be unlikely to include streaming With Love, Meghan: Holiday Celebration. If, however, you decide to tune in and are gripped with envy about her flawless Christmas, there is hope either. If you are a royal or a office worker, no kid fully understands the dedication and labor their mum puts in in the holiday season. So you can console yourself by imagining Archie and Lilibet's faces when they reveal a beautifully scripted letter that says, 'I love you because you are brave,' from a DIY festive calendar, rather than a chocolate.
