Indeed, it's Full of Nonsense, Over-the-Top Hospitality and Self-Help Jargon. Yet I Truly Adore Meghan's Christmas Special.
No matter the time of year, it's perpetually fair game for scrutiny on the Meghan Markle's TV show, With Love, Meghan. Reviewers, expert and amateur alike, have hardly ever agreed so completely as when enthusiastically shredding the series' earlier episodes apart. The prevailing view held that a greater royal outrage had never been witnessed than the notorious pretzel-bagging incident.
Presently, as a festive rebel, she makes a comeback with a new offering with a "Holiday Celebration" (or a yuletide episode). Yet now, things have shifted. The usual elements viewers are accustomed to – vague self-help platitudes, extreme hosting – are still present, but set of a Christmas special, it all clicks into place. The elements have slid perfectly; it's a flawless festive blizzard.
By this point, Meghan has become the oddball family member at the typical holiday get-together – dispensing unsolicited, unnecessary advice, 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 a bit of a character, but her aura is known and strangely comforting. And she appears happy enough; she's not doing any harm.
She is aware her all subtle gestures, syllable and glance will be analyzed and scrutinized, but manages to seem unburdened and serenely untroubled.
It could be this is the initial instance in history where that clichéd phrase – "Pay no mind, it's only envy" – could actually be true. The reason is, you know what?, everything in Meghan's Holiday Celebration honestly feels delightful. Admittedly, it's all awkwardly over-the-top, nonsense and over the top – but isn't that precisely what Christmas is for? And the advice she gives might be ridiculous, but the walk she's walking seems authentically beautifully curated.
Whatever she sets her mind to, she executes with panache. Her recipes looks tasty, the wreath she creates is gorgeous, her gifts are practically too exquisite to unwrap. Nothing is ordinary or ugly – including the way she fastens her kitchen garment is stylish and elegant. She doesn't toss a dish in the microwave, it "takes a twirl", and she wraps gift paper like an paper-folding expert. She also seems to be genuinely relishing herself from start to finish. How could any cynical observer not be convinced, bursting with festive joy and left with a intense desire for crafted festive snaps or a vegetable display where greens is arranged in the form of a Christmas ring?
Meghan was once an actress for a living, obviously, but despite that, after the level of examination she has weathered from the moment she met Prince Harry, the love child of two legendary actresses would struggle to act this naturally. Her decision to modify or even soften her routine, despite it being so relentlessly, internationally ridiculed, is oddly heartening. In our volatile world, here is something we can count on: Meghan will be like this, whatever happens. We will consistently know where we are with her.
If you're remaining skeptical of what she's selling, a thought that will surely come as a comfort: you aren't required to. There isn't national service in this country, and if there were, it would be doubtful to include streaming With Love, Meghan: Holiday Celebration. If, conversely, you choose to watch and are overcome with jealousy about her idyllic Christmas, you can take solace either. Be you a royal or a office worker, hardly any child truly appreciates the dedication and labor their mum does in the holiday season. So you can console yourself by imagining the young royals' faces when they reveal a beautifully scripted letter that says, 'I love you because you are brave,' from a handcrafted holiday countdown, rather than a candy.
