Indeed, it's Full of Gibberish, Over-the-Top Hospitality and Self-Help Jargon. However, I Honestly Love Meghan's Festive Episode.
No considering the season, it's always hunting season for scrutiny on the Meghan Markle's televisual offering, With Love, Meghan. Critics, from seasoned journalists to online pundits, have rarely been so united as when enthusiastically shredding the lifestyle show's initial installments to pieces. The general consensus held that a more egregious regal scandal had seldom occurred than the notorious snack re-labeling incident.
Now, in the spirit of a holiday maverick, she has returned for another round with a "Christmas Special" (aka a Christmas special). However on this occasion, things have shifted. The familiar ingredients we've come to expect – meaningless jargon salads, intense hospitality – persist, but within the context of a holiday show, it all clicks into place. The pieces have fallen into place; it's a ideal seasonal storm.
Now, Meghan is like the oddball family member at most festive family gatherings – dispensing unsolicited, unnecessary advice, 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 company is customary and strangely comforting. And she looks pleased; she's causing any harm.
She is aware her all subtle gestures, syllable and gaze will be analyzed and criticised, but nonetheless looks unburdened and remarkably at ease.
It could be this is the first occasion in history where that well-worn saying – "Don't listen, it's pure jealousy" – may well be true. The reason is, let's face it, each element in Meghan's Holiday Celebration is lovely. Yes, it's all painfully excessive, silliness and flamboyant – but isn't that precisely what the holiday season is for? And the talk she's talking might be ridiculous, but the life she leads appears to be impeccably styled.
Whatever she attempts, she accomplishes with panache. Her recipes looks delicious, the wreath she makes is stunning, her presents are practically too exquisite to unwrap. Not a single thing is mediocre or aesthetically displeasing – even the way she secures her kitchen garment is artful and chic. She doesn't toss a dish in the microwave, it "takes a twirl", and she wraps gift paper like an origami guru. She also seems to be thoroughly enjoying herself from start to finish. How could any hate-watcher not be charmed, bursting with festive joy and left with a deep longing for handmade crackers or a vegetable display where greens is positioned in the shape of a Christmas ring?
Meghan was once an actress for a living, of course, but even so, after the degree of examination she has endured from the moment she met Prince Harry, even a hypothetical offspring of two legendary actresses would struggle to act this genuinely. Her decision to change or even tone down her persona, regardless of it being so constantly, internationally ridiculed, is strangely reassuring. In our volatile world, here is something we can depend on: Meghan will be like this, no matter what. We will always know our position with her.
If you're not yet convinced by what she's selling, a point that will surely come as a comfort: you are not obligated to. We don't have national service these days, and if there were, it would be doubtful to include streaming With Love, Meghan: Holiday Celebration. If, conversely, you willingly check it out and are gripped with jealousy about her flawless Christmas, you can take solace either. If you are a duchess or a office worker, no kid fully understands the effort and hard work their mother does in December. So you can take heart by imagining the young royals' faces when they unfold a calligraphy note that says, 'I love you because you are brave,' from a handcrafted holiday countdown, in place of a chocolate.
