Admittedly, it's Full of Gibberish, Over-the-Top Hospitality and Psychobabble. However, I Honestly Cherish Meghan's Christmas Special.
No concerned with the time of year, it's always hunting season for criticism on the Meghan Markle's Netflix series, With Love, Meghan. Critics, from seasoned journalists to online pundits, have hardly ever agreed so completely as when enthusiastically shredding the lifestyle show's initial installments apart. The prevailing view held that a bigger monarchy-related faux pas had hardly ever taken place than the notorious pretzel-bagging incident.
Now, in the spirit of a holiday maverick, she has returned once again with a "Holiday Celebration" (aka a Christmas special). However on this occasion, the dynamic has changed. The usual elements viewers are accustomed to – vague self-help platitudes, extreme hosting – are still present, but within the context of a Christmas special, the purpose becomes clear. The puzzle has come perfectly; it's a ideal seasonal storm.
At this stage, Meghan has become the oddball family member at the typical holiday get-together – offering unsolicited, unnecessary advice, 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 aura is known and oddly reassuring. And she looks content; she's not doing the slightest hurt.
She understands her every micro expression, syllable and look will be analyzed and scrutinized, but still appears unburdened and remarkably at ease.
Perhaps this is the first occasion in history where that old chestnut – "Pay no mind, it's only envy" – may well be true. Because, let's face it, all aspects in Meghan's Holiday Celebration truly is delightful. Granted, it's all cringily ultra-extra, foolishness and over the top – but is that not precisely what Yuletide is about? And the talk she's talking might be ridiculous, but the walk she's walking seems authentically shop-bought.
Anything she turns her beautifully manicured, diamond-adorned hand to, she pulls off with flair. Her recipes looks scrumptious, the festive decoration she creates is breathtaking, her gifts are nearly too beautiful to unwrap. Not a single thing is ordinary or ugly – including the way she ties her kitchen garment is creative and fashionable. She doesn't throw a meal in the microwave, it "takes a twirl", and she wraps wrapping paper like an origami guru. She also seems to be genuinely relishing herself throughout. How could any hate-watcher not be convinced, bursting with seasonal cheer and left with a deep longing for crafted festive snaps or a vegetable display where greens is organized in the likeness of a festive circle?
Meghan had a career in acting for a living, naturally, but despite that, after the intensity of scrutiny she has endured since she met Prince Harry, the love child of Meryl Streep and Judi Dench would struggle to act this authentically. Her unwillingness to modify or even moderate her persona, regardless of it being so persistently, globally mocked, is weirdly comforting. In our unpredictable world, here is something we can count on: Meghan will stay true to form, no matter what. We will consistently know what to expect with her.
If you're not yet convinced by her message, a reminder that will undoubtedly come as a comfort: you aren't required to. We don't have the draft in this country, and if there were, it would be improbable to include streaming With Love, Meghan: Holiday Celebration. If, however, you decide to tune in and are gripped with longing about her picture-perfect Christmas, all is not lost either. If you are a duchess or a data administrator, few children truly appreciates the effort and hard work their mother expends in December. So you can console yourself by picturing the young royals' faces when they open a handwritten message that says, 'I love you because you are brave,' from a homemade Advent calendar, in place of a sweet treat.