Yes, it's Brimming with Nonsense, Over-the-Top Hospitality and Psychobabble. But I Do Adore Meghan's Festive Episode.
No considering the time of year, it's always fair game for commentary on the Meghan Markle's Netflix series, With Love, Meghan. Reviewers, expert and amateur alike, have rarely been so united as when enthusiastically shredding the lifestyle show's initial installments to pieces. The common opinion was that a bigger monarchy-related faux pas had never been witnessed than the now-infamous pretzel re-packaging incident.
Now, in the spirit of a holiday maverick, she is back for another round with a "Christmas Special" (aka a Christmas special). However on this occasion, things have shifted. The standard components we've come to expect – vague self-help platitudes, intense hospitality – remain, but within the context of a Christmas special, the purpose becomes clear. The pieces have fallen perfectly; it's a ideal seasonal storm.
At this stage, Meghan resembles the eccentric aunt at the typical holiday get-together – dispensing unsolicited, unnecessary advice, and contributing the periodic peculiar declaration. ("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 unexpectedly soothing. And she seems content; she's inflicting a bit of damage.
She knows her each tiny facial movement, utterance and look will be picked apart and judged, but still appears carefree and too blessed to be stressed.
It could be this is the first occasion in history where that old chestnut – "Don't listen, it's pure jealousy" – may well be true. Because, you know what?, everything in Meghan's Holiday Celebration truly is delightful. Granted, it's all awkwardly over-the-top, silliness and flamboyant – but doesn't that represent precisely what the holiday season is for? And the words she speaks might be absurd, but the life she leads seems authentically impeccably styled.
Anything she turns her beautifully manicured, diamond-adorned hand to, she pulls off with panache. Her recipes looks delicious, the holiday arrangement she creates is gorgeous, her presents are almost too pretty to tear into. Not a single thing is mediocre or aesthetically displeasing – even the way she ties her kitchen garment is stylish and elegant. She doesn't bung a meal in the oven, it "has a moment", and she wraps wrapping paper like an origami guru. She also seems to be thoroughly enjoying herself throughout. How could any hate-watcher not be charmed, overcome by festive joy and left with a intense desire for crafted festive snaps or a vegetable display where broccoli is organized in the form of a wreath?
Meghan was once an actress for a living, of course, but nonetheless, after the level of attention she has endured from the moment she met Prince Harry, even a hypothetical offspring of Meryl Streep and Judi Dench would find it hard to appear this naturally. Her refusal to alter or even soften her routine, regardless of it being so constantly, widely parodied, is strangely reassuring. In our unpredictable world, here is something we can count on: Meghan will be like this, come what may. We will forever know what to expect with her.
If you're remaining skeptical of her brand, a thought that will undoubtedly come as a reassurance: you are not obligated to. We don't have mandatory conscription anymore, and if there were, it would be unlikely to include viewing With Love, Meghan: Holiday Celebration. If, on the other hand, you willingly check it out and are overcome with envy about her flawless Christmas, all is not lost either. Whether you're a royal or a office worker, few children truly appreciates the effort and hard work their mum does in December. So you can find comfort by imagining Archie and Lilibet's faces when they reveal a beautifully scripted letter that says, 'I love you because you are brave,' from a DIY festive calendar, in place of a chocolate.
