Yes, it's Brimming with Nonsense, Over-the-Top Hospitality and Self-Help Jargon. However, I Honestly Adore Meghan's Festive Episode.
No considering the time of year, it's perpetually hunting season for criticism on the Meghan Markle's TV show, With Love, Meghan. Commentators, both professional and armchair, have rarely been so united as when enthusiastically shredding the program's earlier episodes to shreds. The common opinion was that a bigger monarchy-related faux pas had seldom occurred than the much-discussed pretzel re-packaging incident.
Now, in the spirit of a holiday maverick, she is back once again with a "Christmas Special" (or a holiday episode). But this time, the dynamic has changed. The familiar ingredients audiences anticipate – vague self-help platitudes, overzealous entertaining – persist, but within the context of a yuletide episode, it all clicks into place. The elements have slid perfectly; it's a flawless festive blizzard.
Now, Meghan has become the eccentric aunt at the typical holiday get-together – offering random tips, 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 happy enough; she's causing any harm.
She is aware her every micro expression, utterance and look will be dissected and scrutinized, but still appears unburdened and remarkably at ease.
Perhaps this is the first occasion in history where that clichéd phrase – "Ignore them, they're just jealous" – may well be true. Because, you know what?, all aspects in Meghan's Holiday Celebration truly is delightful. Yes, it's all awkwardly over-the-top, silliness and over the top – but is that not just what Christmas is all about? And the advice she gives might be absurd, but the life she leads seems authentically shop-bought.
Whatever she turns her beautifully manicured, diamond-adorned hand to, she accomplishes with flair. Her culinary efforts looks scrumptious, the wreath she makes is stunning, her gifts are nearly too beautiful to open. Nothing is average or ugly – even the way she fastens her apron is stylish and elegant. She doesn't bung a dish in the microwave, it "takes a twirl", and she wraps wrapping paper like an craft master. She also seems to be genuinely relishing herself the entire time. How could any cynical observer not be convinced, filled with seasonal cheer and left with a deep longing for personalized Christmas crackers or a crudites platter where greens is arranged in the shape of a festive circle?
Meghan was once an actress for a living, obviously, but despite that, after the level of scrutiny she has faced from the moment she met Prince Harry, even a hypothetical offspring of Meryl Streep and Judi Dench would have difficulty behaving this naturally. Her refusal to modify or even moderate her routine, despite it being so persistently, globally mocked, is oddly heartening. In our unpredictable world, here is something we can rely on: Meghan will be like this, whatever happens. We will forever know what to expect with her.
If you're not yet convinced by her brand, a point that will undoubtedly come as a reassurance: you are not obligated 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, conversely, you choose to watch and are gripped with envy about her flawless Christmas, you can take solace either. Whether you're a duchess or a everyday person, hardly any child fully understands the time and energy their parent puts in in December. So you can find comfort by envisioning Archie and Lilibet's faces when they unfold a handwritten message that says, 'I love you because you are brave,' from a DIY festive calendar, instead of a chocolate.
