Indeed, it's Full of Gibberish, Over-the-Top Hospitality and Psychobabble. But I Do Adore Meghan's Christmas Special.
No matter the season, it's constantly hunting season for criticism on the Meghan Markle's Netflix series, With Love, Meghan. Commentators, from seasoned journalists to online pundits, have hardly ever agreed so completely as when gleefully ripping the program's initial installments apart. The prevailing view was that a more egregious regal scandal had hardly ever taken place than the much-discussed snack re-labeling incident.
Presently, like a merry renegade master, she has returned once again with a "Holiday Celebration" (also known as a Christmas special). But this time, it's different. The standard components audiences anticipate – meaningless jargon salads, overzealous entertaining – persist, but set of a Christmas special, suddenly it all makes sense. The pieces have fallen perfectly; it's a ideal seasonal storm.
At this stage, Meghan resembles the quirky relative at the typical holiday get-together – providing unsolicited, unnecessary advice, and supplying 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 a bit of a character, but her company is customary and unexpectedly soothing. And she looks pleased; she's causing any harm.
She knows her all subtle gestures, utterance and gaze will be analyzed and scrutinized, but manages to seem relaxed and remarkably at ease.
Perhaps this is the first occasion in history where that old chestnut – "Ignore them, they're just jealous" – might be true. The reason is, in all honesty, each element in Meghan's Holiday Celebration honestly feels delightful. Granted, it's all cringily ultra-extra, foolishness and flamboyant – but isn't that precisely what Christmas is about? And the talk she's talking might be laughable, but the walk she's walking appears to be impeccably styled.
Anything she turns her beautifully manicured, diamond-adorned hand to, she executes with flair. Her cooking looks delicious, the wreath she makes is gorgeous, her gifts are almost too pretty to unwrap. Nothing is mediocre or aesthetically displeasing – even the way she fastens her apron is artful and chic. She doesn't throw a dish in the oven, it "has a moment", and she wraps gift paper like an paper-folding expert. She also seems to be completely savoring herself the entire time. How could any cynical observer not be charmed, overcome by festive joy and left with a intense desire for crafted festive snaps or a vegetable display where greens is arranged in the form of a festive circle?
Meghan was once an actress for a living, naturally, but nonetheless, after the intensity of scrutiny she has weathered from the moment she met Prince Harry, even a hypothetical offspring of Meryl Streep and Judi Dench would struggle to act this naturally. Her unwillingness to alter or even moderate her routine, even though it being so constantly, globally mocked, is strangely reassuring. In our volatile world, here is one thing we can rely on: Meghan will remain herself, come what may. We will always know our position with her.
If you're remaining skeptical of her message, a point that will undoubtedly come as a reassurance: you aren't required to. There isn't national service these days, and if there were, it would be unlikely to include watching With Love, Meghan: Holiday Celebration. If, however, you willingly check it out and are overcome with envy about her flawless Christmas, there is hope either. Whether you're a royal or a data administrator, hardly any child truly appreciates the dedication and labor their parent puts in in December. So you can console yourself by imagining the young royals' faces when they reveal a calligraphy note that says, 'I love you because you are brave,' from a handcrafted holiday countdown, in place of a candy.
