Admittedly, it's Packed with Nonsense, Extreme Hosting and Self-Help Jargon. However, I Honestly Adore Meghan's Christmas Special.
No matter the season, it's constantly open season for criticism on the Meghan Markle's TV show, With Love, Meghan. Commentators, expert and amateur alike, have seldom found such common ground as when enthusiastically shredding the lifestyle show's earlier episodes apart. The common opinion held that a greater royal outrage had never been witnessed than the much-discussed pretzel re-packaging incident.
Presently, in the spirit of a holiday maverick, she makes a comeback once again with a "Holiday Celebration" (also known as a holiday episode). But this time, the dynamic has changed. The usual elements viewers are accustomed to – meaningless jargon salads, intense hospitality – are still present, but set of a yuletide episode, it all clicks into place. The puzzle has come perfectly; it's a perfect snow storm.
By this point, Meghan is like the eccentric aunt at most festive family gatherings – offering unsolicited, unnecessary advice, and supplying 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 oddly reassuring. And she seems content; she's causing the slightest hurt.
She is aware her every micro expression, utterance and glance will be dissected and judged, but still appears unburdened and remarkably at ease.
It could be this is the only time in history where that old chestnut – "Don't listen, it's pure jealousy" – may well be true. Because, in all honesty, each element in Meghan's Holiday Celebration is charming. Yes, it's all awkwardly over-the-top, nonsense and over the top – but isn't that exactly what Christmas is about? And the talk she's talking might be absurd, but the life she leads appears to be beautifully curated.
Anything she attempts, she accomplishes with flair. Her recipes looks scrumptious, the festive decoration she creates is gorgeous, her gifts are practically too exquisite to tear into. Nothing is ordinary or ugly – even the way she ties her apron is stylish and elegant. She doesn't throw a meal in the microwave, it "goes for a spin", and she folds gift paper like an origami guru. She also seems to be completely savoring herself from start to finish. How could any hate-watcher not be won over, overcome by festive joy and left with a deep longing for handmade crackers or a vegetable display where broccoli is organized in the form of a festive circle?
Meghan had a career in acting for a living, of course, but even so, after the degree of examination she has endured from the moment she met Prince Harry, a theoretical combination of acting royalty would struggle to act this genuinely. Her decision to alter or even tone down her persona, despite it being so persistently, globally mocked, is strangely reassuring. In our unpredictable world, here is something we can count on: Meghan will be like this, come what may. We will consistently know where we are with her.
If you're not yet convinced by her message, a point that will undoubtedly come as a reassurance: you aren't required to. We don't have the draft these days, and should it be reinstated, it would be unlikely to include watching With Love, Meghan: Holiday Celebration. If, however, you willingly check it out and are consumed by longing about her flawless Christmas, you can take solace either. If you are a duchess or a data administrator, few children fully understands the time and energy their parent does in December. So you can find comfort by imagining the young royals' faces when they open a calligraphy note that says, 'I love you because you are brave,' from a homemade Advent calendar, instead of a chocolate.
