Admittedly, it's Packed with Gibberish, Over-the-Top Hospitality and Psychobabble. But I Do Love Meghan's Christmas Special.
No matter the time of year, it's constantly fair game for scrutiny 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 program's first and second seasons to pieces. The general consensus was that a bigger monarchy-related faux pas had never been witnessed than the notorious pretzel re-packaging incident.
Currently, as a festive rebel, she is back for another round with a "Holiday Celebration" (also known as a yuletide episode). However on this occasion, the dynamic has changed. The standard components we've come to expect – vague self-help platitudes, extreme hosting – persist, but set of a Christmas special, suddenly it all makes sense. The elements have slid perfectly; it's a perfect snow storm.
By this point, Meghan has become the oddball family member at Christmas celebrations everywhere – dispensing unasked-for guidance, and supplying the occasional strange exclamation. ("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 quite a personality, but her presence is familiar and strangely comforting. And she looks content; she's not doing a bit of damage.
She knows her all subtle gestures, utterance and gaze will be picked apart and scrutinized, but still appears unburdened and too blessed to be stressed.
Perhaps this is the first occasion in history where that well-worn saying – "Pay no mind, it's only envy" – may well be true. The reason is, in all honesty, everything in Meghan's Holiday Celebration truly is lovely. Admittedly, it's all awkwardly over-the-top, silliness and extravagant – but isn't that precisely what the holiday season is all about? And the advice she gives might be absurd, but the life she leads appears to be beautifully curated.
Whatever she attempts, she pulls off with panache. Her recipes looks delicious, the wreath she makes is breathtaking, her presents are nearly too beautiful to tear into. Not a single thing is mediocre or aesthetically displeasing – even the way she fastens her apron is creative and fashionable. She doesn't bung a dish in the oven, it "has a moment", and she wraps wrapping paper like an origami guru. She also seems to be completely savoring herself the entire time. How could any hate-watcher not be convinced, filled with festive joy and left with a intense desire for crafted festive snaps or a vegetable display where broccoli is positioned in the likeness of a Christmas ring?
Meghan had a career in acting for a living, of course, but nonetheless, after the level of attention she has endured since she started dating Prince Harry, the love child of two legendary actresses would have difficulty behaving this genuinely. Her unwillingness to change or even tone down her routine, even though it being so relentlessly, globally mocked, is weirdly comforting. In our uncertain world, here is something we can count on: Meghan will remain herself, no matter what. We will consistently know our position with her.
If you're still not buying what she's selling, a thought that will certainly come as a comfort: you aren't required to. The UK has abolished the draft anymore, and if there were, it would be doubtful to include streaming 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 royal or a office worker, hardly any child fully understands the dedication and labor their parent expends in the holiday season. So you can console yourself by picturing Archie and Lilibet's faces when they reveal a beautifully scripted letter that says, 'I love you because you are brave,' from a handcrafted holiday countdown, instead of a sweet treat.
