Yes, it's Full of Absurdity, Over-the-Top Hospitality and Self-Help Jargon. Yet I Truly Love Meghan's Christmas Special.
No concerned with the time of year, it's perpetually hunting season for commentary on the Meghan Markle's Netflix series, With Love, Meghan. Reviewers, from seasoned journalists to online pundits, have rarely been so united as when gleefully ripping the series' earlier episodes apart. The common opinion held that a greater royal outrage had seldom occurred than the much-discussed pretzel-bagging incident.
Currently, as a festive rebel, she makes a comeback for another round with a "Christmas Special" (aka a Christmas special). However on this occasion, things have shifted. The familiar ingredients audiences anticipate – meaningless jargon salads, intense hospitality – are still present, but within the context of a Christmas special, the purpose becomes clear. The elements have slid together; it's a perfect snow storm.
Now, Meghan resembles the eccentric aunt at Christmas celebrations everywhere – providing unasked-for guidance, and delivering 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 presence is familiar and unexpectedly soothing. And she seems pleased; she's inflicting any harm.
She understands her every micro expression, utterance and gaze will be analyzed and criticised, but nonetheless looks carefree and serenely untroubled.
Perhaps this is the only time in history where that clichéd phrase – "Pay no mind, it's only envy" – might be true. Because, let's face it, all aspects in Meghan's Holiday Celebration honestly feels charming. Granted, it's all awkwardly over-the-top, nonsense and flamboyant – but is that not just what the holiday season is about? And the advice she gives might be ridiculous, but the life she leads appears to be shop-bought.
Anything she turns her beautifully manicured, diamond-adorned hand to, she executes with panache. Her cooking looks tasty, the holiday arrangement she crafts is gorgeous, her gifts are almost too pretty to tear into. Nothing is mediocre or ugly – including the way she fastens her apron is stylish and elegant. She doesn't throw a dish in the oven, it "goes for a spin", and she creases gift paper like an origami guru. She also seems to be thoroughly enjoying herself from start to finish. How could any hate-watcher not be won over, filled with seasonal cheer and left with a deep longing for handmade crackers or a vegetable display where greens is positioned in the form of a wreath?
Meghan had a career in acting for a living, obviously, but nonetheless, after the intensity of attention she has weathered from the moment she started dating Prince Harry, the love child of two legendary actresses would find it hard to appear this genuinely. Her decision to alter or even soften her routine, regardless of it being so relentlessly, globally mocked, is weirdly comforting. In our volatile world, here is one thing we can depend on: Meghan will remain herself, come what may. We will always know our position with her.
If you're not yet convinced by her brand, a reminder that will surely come as a relief: you are not obligated to. The UK has abolished the draft anymore, and should it be reinstated, it would be unlikely to include streaming With Love, Meghan: Holiday Celebration. If, conversely, you decide to tune in and are consumed by jealousy about her picture-perfect Christmas, you can take solace either. Be you a royal or a everyday person, no kid fully understands the dedication and labor their parent does in December. So you can console yourself by picturing the young royals' faces when they reveal a calligraphy note that says, 'I love you because you are brave,' from a handcrafted holiday countdown, in place of a sweet treat.
