Yes, it's Full of Absurdity, Extreme Hosting and Psychobabble. But I Do Cherish Meghan's Festive Episode.
No matter the time of year, it's perpetually hunting season for scrutiny 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 lifestyle show's earlier episodes to shreds. The prevailing view held that a bigger monarchy-related faux pas had seldom occurred than the notorious pretzel-bagging incident.
Presently, like a merry renegade master, she is back for another round with a "Festive Special" (also known as a yuletide episode). But this time, the dynamic has changed. The usual elements we've come to expect – vague self-help platitudes, overzealous entertaining – are still present, but within the context of a Christmas special, suddenly it all makes sense. The puzzle has come into place; it's a perfect snow storm.
By this point, Meghan is like the quirky relative at the typical holiday get-together – offering random tips, and delivering 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 company is customary and strangely comforting. And she appears content; she's not doing any harm.
She is aware her each tiny facial movement, word and look will be dissected and scrutinized, but still appears relaxed and serenely untroubled.
Perhaps this is the only time in history where that clichéd phrase – "Don't listen, it's pure jealousy" – may well be true. Because, in all honesty, everything in Meghan's Holiday Celebration truly is lovely. Admittedly, it's all cringily ultra-extra, silliness and flamboyant – but doesn't that represent precisely what the holiday season is about? And the advice she gives might be absurd, but the life she leads appears to be beautifully curated.
Anything she attempts, she pulls off with style. Her recipes looks scrumptious, the holiday arrangement she crafts is gorgeous, her gifts are nearly too beautiful to tear into. Nothing is mediocre or visually unappealing – even the way she ties her apron is artful and chic. She doesn't toss a meal in the microwave, it "goes for a spin", and she creases gift paper like an craft master. She also seems to be genuinely relishing herself from start to finish. How could any skeptical viewer not be charmed, overcome by festive joy and left with a powerful yearning for personalized Christmas crackers or a crudites platter where greens is positioned in the shape of a Christmas ring?
Meghan used to pretend for a living, of course, but despite that, after the intensity of attention she has faced since she started dating Prince Harry, a theoretical combination of acting royalty would struggle to act this genuinely. Her decision to alter or even moderate her routine, despite it being so constantly, globally mocked, is strangely reassuring. In our unpredictable world, here is one thing we can depend on: Meghan will stay true to form, come what may. We will consistently know where we are with her.
If you're remaining skeptical of what she's selling, a reminder that will undoubtedly come as a comfort: you aren't required to. There isn't national service anymore, and should it be reinstated, it would be improbable to include streaming With Love, Meghan: Holiday Celebration. If, however, you willingly check it out and are consumed by longing about her picture-perfect Christmas, all is not lost either. If you are a royal or a everyday person, few children fully understands the time and energy their mother puts in in December. So you can find comfort by picturing the young royals' faces when they reveal a handwritten message that says, 'I love you because you are brave,' from a DIY festive calendar, instead of a sweet treat.
