Indeed, it's Brimming with Gibberish, Extreme Hosting and Self-Help Jargon. But I Do Adore Meghan's Christmas Special.
No matter the time of year, it's perpetually fair game for criticism on the Meghan Markle's TV show, With Love, Meghan. Critics, expert and amateur alike, have hardly ever agreed so completely as when enthusiastically shredding the series' initial installments to shreds. The common opinion was that a more egregious regal scandal had hardly ever taken place than the much-discussed pretzel re-packaging incident.
Presently, in the spirit of a holiday maverick, she is back with a new offering with a "Christmas Special" (aka a yuletide episode). But this time, things have shifted. The usual elements audiences anticipate – psychobabble word salads, extreme hosting – remain, but framed of a Christmas special, suddenly it all makes sense. The pieces have fallen perfectly; it's a perfect snow storm.
By this point, Meghan resembles the eccentric aunt at the typical holiday get-together – providing 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 aura is known and strangely comforting. And she appears pleased; she's inflicting any harm.
She is aware her all subtle gestures, syllable and look will be dissected and judged, but manages to seem carefree and remarkably at ease.
Maybe this is the only time in history where that clichéd phrase – "Ignore them, they're just jealous" – may well be true. Because, you know what?, everything in Meghan's Holiday Celebration honestly feels charming. Granted, it's all cringily ultra-extra, nonsense and extravagant – but doesn't that represent precisely what Yuletide is about? And the words she speaks might be absurd, but the example she sets appears to be beautifully curated.
Anything she attempts, she accomplishes with style. Her recipes looks tasty, the holiday arrangement she creates is gorgeous, her gifts are nearly too beautiful to open. Not a single thing is average or aesthetically displeasing – including the way she secures 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 paper-folding expert. She also seems to be genuinely relishing herself throughout. 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 positioned in the form of a festive circle?
Meghan had a career in acting for a living, obviously, but despite that, after the intensity of attention she has endured since she met Prince Harry, the love child of two legendary actresses would have difficulty behaving this naturally. Her refusal to change or even moderate her shtick, regardless of it being so persistently, globally mocked, is strangely reassuring. In our unpredictable world, here is something we can count on: Meghan will stay true to form, whatever happens. We will consistently know what to expect with her.
If you're not yet convinced by her message, a thought that will surely come as a relief: you aren't required to. The UK has abolished the draft anymore, and should it be reinstated, it would be improbable to include watching With Love, Meghan: Holiday Celebration. If, conversely, you decide to tune in and are consumed by jealousy about her idyllic Christmas, you can take solace either. Be you a duchess or a data administrator, hardly any child fully understands the effort and hard work their parent expends in December. So you can console yourself by picturing the young royals' faces when they open a handwritten message that says, 'I love you because you are brave,' from a handcrafted holiday countdown, in place of a candy.
