Indeed, it's Full of Gibberish, Over-the-Top Hospitality and Self-Help Jargon. However, I Honestly Adore Meghan's Holiday Special.
No matter the time of year, it's always hunting season for scrutiny on the Meghan Markle's televisual offering, With Love, Meghan. Commentators, from seasoned journalists to online pundits, have rarely been so united as when gleefully ripping the series' first and second seasons apart. The prevailing view was that a bigger monarchy-related faux pas had never been witnessed than the now-infamous pretzel re-packaging incident.
Currently, in the spirit of a holiday maverick, she makes a comeback once again with a "Holiday Celebration" (or a holiday episode). But this time, it's different. The usual elements audiences anticipate – vague self-help platitudes, extreme hosting – are still present, but within the context of a Christmas special, suddenly it all makes sense. The pieces have fallen together; it's a ideal seasonal storm.
By this point, Meghan resembles the eccentric aunt at Christmas celebrations everywhere – dispensing random tips, and contributing 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 seems pleased; she's inflicting the slightest hurt.
She knows her all subtle gestures, syllable and glance will be analyzed and criticised, but manages to seem carefree and serenely untroubled.
It could be this is the first occasion in history where that well-worn saying – "Ignore them, they're just jealous" – may well be true. The reason is, let's face it, each element in Meghan's Holiday Celebration is charming. Admittedly, it's all cringily ultra-extra, nonsense and flamboyant – but doesn't that represent precisely what the holiday season is about? And the advice she gives might be laughable, but the example she sets genuinely looks shop-bought.
Anything she turns her beautifully manicured, diamond-adorned hand to, she accomplishes with flair. Her recipes looks delicious, the festive decoration she crafts is breathtaking, her presents are nearly too beautiful to unwrap. Nothing is ordinary or visually unappealing – even the way she fastens her apron is artful and chic. She doesn't throw a dish in the microwave, it "has a moment", and she wraps gift paper like an paper-folding expert. She also seems to be thoroughly enjoying herself the entire time. How could any cynical observer not be convinced, bursting with seasonal cheer and left with a deep longing for handmade crackers or a crudites platter where broccoli is arranged in the form of a wreath?
Meghan was once an actress for a living, of course, but nonetheless, after the intensity of scrutiny she has weathered since she met Prince Harry, a theoretical combination of Meryl Streep and Judi Dench would have difficulty behaving this naturally. Her unwillingness to alter or even soften her persona, regardless of it being so relentlessly, globally mocked, is oddly heartening. In our uncertain world, here is one thing we can count on: Meghan will be like this, no matter what. We will always know where we are with her.
If you're still not buying her message, a point that will certainly come as a reassurance: you don't have to. We don't have mandatory conscription anymore, and should it be reinstated, it would be improbable to include watching With Love, Meghan: Holiday Celebration. If, on the other hand, you decide to tune in and are overcome with jealousy about her flawless Christmas, you can take solace either. Whether you're a royal or a everyday person, hardly any child completely grasps the time and energy their parent does in the holiday season. So you can find comfort by envisioning the young royals' faces when they unfold a handwritten message that says, 'I love you because you are brave,' from a DIY festive calendar, instead of a candy.
