Indeed, it's Packed with Gibberish, Extreme Hosting and Self-Help Jargon. Yet I Truly Cherish Meghan's Festive Episode.
No concerned with the season, it's constantly hunting season for scrutiny on the Duchess of Sussex's televisual offering, With Love, Meghan. Commentators, from seasoned journalists to online pundits, have seldom found such common ground as when enthusiastically shredding the series' earlier episodes apart. The general consensus was that a bigger monarchy-related faux pas had never been witnessed than the much-discussed snack re-labeling incident.
Presently, in the spirit of a holiday maverick, she makes a comeback once again with a "Christmas Special" (or a yuletide episode). Yet now, it's different. The familiar ingredients we've come to expect – vague self-help platitudes, intense hospitality – remain, but framed of a Christmas special, the purpose becomes clear. The elements have slid perfectly; it's a ideal seasonal storm.
At this stage, Meghan resembles the oddball family member at most festive family gatherings – providing unasked-for guidance, 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 a bit of a character, but her aura is known and strangely comforting. And she appears happy enough; she's inflicting any harm.
She is aware her all subtle gestures, syllable and glance will be picked apart and judged, but manages to seem relaxed and serenely untroubled.
Perhaps this is the first occasion in history where that old chestnut – "Pay no mind, it's only envy" – might be true. The reason is, in all honesty, all aspects in Meghan's Holiday Celebration truly is lovely. Yes, it's all painfully excessive, nonsense and flamboyant – but doesn't that represent precisely what Yuletide is for? And the words she speaks might be laughable, but the example she sets seems authentically beautifully curated.
Whatever she turns her beautifully manicured, diamond-adorned hand to, she accomplishes with panache. Her cooking looks scrumptious, the holiday arrangement she creates is stunning, her gifts are practically too exquisite to unwrap. Not a single thing is mediocre or aesthetically displeasing – even the way she ties her apron is artful and chic. She doesn't throw a meal in the microwave, it "has a moment", and she creases wrapping paper like an craft master. She also seems to be genuinely relishing herself the entire time. How could any skeptical viewer not be won over, bursting with seasonal cheer and left with a intense desire for handmade crackers or a vegetable display where greens is positioned in the likeness of a Christmas ring?
Meghan used to pretend for a living, naturally, but even so, after the intensity of scrutiny she has endured ever since she became involved with Prince Harry, a theoretical combination of acting royalty would have difficulty behaving this genuinely. Her refusal to alter or even soften her persona, even though it being so persistently, internationally ridiculed, is strangely reassuring. In our uncertain world, here is something we can rely on: Meghan will be like this, come what may. We will always know where we are with her.
If you're remaining skeptical of what she's selling, a thought that will certainly come as a comfort: you aren't required to. We don't have national service these days, and should it be reinstated, it would be improbable to include streaming With Love, Meghan: Holiday Celebration. If, conversely, you willingly check it out and are consumed by longing about her picture-perfect Christmas, you can take solace either. Whether you're a royal or a data administrator, few children completely grasps the dedication and labor their parent puts in in the holiday season. So you can take heart by imagining Archie and Lilibet's faces when they unfold a beautifully scripted letter that says, 'I love you because you are brave,' from a DIY festive calendar, rather than a sweet treat.
