Yes, it's Full of Nonsense, Extreme Hosting and Psychobabble. But I Do Adore Meghan's Holiday Special.
No matter the season, it's always fair game for criticism on the Meghan Markle's televisual offering, With Love, Meghan. Critics, expert and amateur alike, have rarely been so united as when gleefully ripping the series' first and second seasons apart. The common opinion was that a greater royal outrage had seldom occurred than the now-infamous pretzel-bagging incident.
Now, as a festive rebel, she is back once again with a "Festive Special" (also known as a holiday episode). But this time, it's different. The standard components viewers are accustomed to – meaningless jargon salads, intense hospitality – remain, but set of a holiday show, it all clicks into place. The pieces have fallen together; it's a perfect snow storm.
By this point, Meghan has become the quirky relative at most festive family gatherings – dispensing unsolicited, unnecessary advice, and contributing the odd random outburst. ("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 seems pleased; she's causing the slightest hurt.
She understands her all subtle gestures, utterance and glance will be dissected and scrutinized, but still appears carefree and too blessed to be stressed.
It could be this is the only time in history where that old chestnut – "Don't listen, it's pure jealousy" – could actually be true. The reason is, you know what?, everything in Meghan's Holiday Celebration truly is delightful. Granted, it's all awkwardly over-the-top, nonsense and over the top – but doesn't that represent just what Yuletide is about? And the words she speaks might be absurd, but the example she sets appears to be impeccably styled.
Whatever she sets her mind to, she pulls off with style. Her culinary efforts looks scrumptious, the holiday arrangement she crafts is stunning, her gifts are nearly too beautiful to unwrap. Not a single thing is average or visually unappealing – including the way she secures her kitchen garment is artful and chic. She doesn't toss a meal in the microwave, it "has a moment", and she folds gift paper like an paper-folding expert. She also seems to be completely savoring herself throughout. How could any cynical observer not be convinced, overcome by holiday spirit and left with a powerful yearning for crafted festive snaps or a crudites platter where greens is organized in the likeness of a festive circle?
Meghan was once an actress for a living, of course, but even so, after the degree of examination she has faced ever since she met Prince Harry, even a hypothetical offspring of two legendary actresses would find it hard to appear this authentically. Her unwillingness to modify or even moderate her persona, despite it being so persistently, internationally ridiculed, is weirdly comforting. In our uncertain world, here is something we can count on: Meghan will be like this, come what may. We will consistently know what to expect with her.
If you're remaining skeptical of her message, a reminder that will surely come as a reassurance: you don't have to. There isn't mandatory conscription in this country, and should it be reinstated, it would be unlikely to include streaming With Love, Meghan: Holiday Celebration. If, on the other hand, you choose to watch and are consumed by envy about her flawless Christmas, all is not lost either. If you are a royal or a everyday person, no kid truly appreciates the dedication and labor their mother puts in in the holiday season. So you can console yourself by imagining Archie and Lilibet's faces when they reveal a handwritten message that says, 'I love you because you are brave,' from a homemade Advent calendar, rather than a sweet treat.
