Yes, it's Brimming with Nonsense, Extreme Hosting and Self-Help Jargon. Yet I Truly Cherish Meghan's Holiday Special.
No concerned with the season, it's perpetually fair game for criticism on the Duchess of Sussex's televisual offering, With Love, Meghan. Reviewers, expert and amateur alike, have rarely been so united as when enthusiastically shredding the lifestyle show's initial installments apart. The prevailing view seemed to be a more egregious regal scandal had seldom occurred than the notorious snack re-labeling incident.
Now, as a festive rebel, she is back for another round with a "Christmas Special" (or a Christmas special). But this time, the dynamic has changed. The familiar ingredients 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 perfect snow storm.
At this stage, Meghan resembles the oddball family member at the typical holiday get-together – dispensing random tips, and contributing 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 strangely comforting. And she seems happy enough; she's inflicting the slightest hurt.
She knows her all subtle gestures, utterance and gaze will be dissected and criticised, but nonetheless looks unburdened and too blessed to be stressed.
Maybe this is the only time in history where that well-worn saying – "Ignore them, they're just jealous" – could actually be true. Because, let's face it, everything in Meghan's Holiday Celebration is delightful. Yes, it's all awkwardly over-the-top, silliness and extravagant – but doesn't that represent just what the holiday season is for? And the talk she's talking might be absurd, but the life she leads seems authentically beautifully curated.
Anything she turns her beautifully manicured, diamond-adorned hand to, she pulls off with flair. Her cooking looks scrumptious, the holiday arrangement she creates is breathtaking, her presents are almost too pretty to tear into. Nothing is mediocre or aesthetically displeasing – even the way she ties her apron is creative and fashionable. She doesn't toss a dish in the oven, it "takes a twirl", and she wraps wrapping paper like an paper-folding expert. She also seems to be thoroughly enjoying herself throughout. How could any hate-watcher not be charmed, bursting with seasonal cheer and left with a intense desire for personalized Christmas crackers or a crudites platter where broccoli is organized in the likeness of a festive circle?
Meghan used to pretend for a living, naturally, but nonetheless, after the level of scrutiny she has faced since she met Prince Harry, even a hypothetical offspring of Meryl Streep and Judi Dench would have difficulty behaving this authentically. Her unwillingness to change or even moderate her shtick, regardless of it being so constantly, widely parodied, is weirdly comforting. In our unpredictable world, here is one thing we can depend on: Meghan will be like this, come what may. We will always know our position with her.
If you're remaining skeptical of her message, a reminder that will surely come as a relief: you are not obligated to. We don't have national service these days, and were it to return, it would be improbable to include streaming With Love, Meghan: Holiday Celebration. If, however, you willingly check it out and are overcome with longing about her picture-perfect Christmas, all is not lost either. Be you a duchess or a everyday person, no kid fully understands the time and energy their mother puts in in December. So you can console yourself by picturing her children's faces when they unfold a handwritten message that says, 'I love you because you are brave,' from a handcrafted holiday countdown, rather than a sweet treat.
