Yes, it's Brimming with Gibberish, Over-the-Top Hospitality and Psychobabble. However, I Honestly Adore Meghan's Christmas Special.
No matter the time of year, it's perpetually open season for commentary on the Duchess of Sussex's televisual offering, With Love, Meghan. Commentators, from seasoned journalists to online pundits, have rarely been so united as when gleefully ripping the series' initial installments apart. The common opinion seemed to be a greater royal outrage had seldom occurred than the much-discussed snack re-labeling incident.
Presently, as a festive rebel, she makes a comeback once again with a "Christmas Special" (aka a yuletide episode). Yet now, things have shifted. The standard components viewers are accustomed to – psychobabble word salads, extreme hosting – are still present, but set of a yuletide episode, the purpose becomes clear. The puzzle has come into place; it's a perfect snow storm.
Now, Meghan resembles the eccentric aunt at Christmas celebrations everywhere – offering 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 presence is familiar and oddly reassuring. And she seems happy enough; she's inflicting any harm.
She knows her all subtle gestures, syllable and gaze will be dissected and judged, but still appears relaxed and serenely untroubled.
It could be this is the initial instance in history where that clichéd phrase – "Ignore them, they're just jealous" – might be true. Since, you know what?, everything in Meghan's Holiday Celebration honestly feels charming. Admittedly, it's all painfully excessive, silliness and flamboyant – but isn't that just what Yuletide is about? And the advice she gives might be ridiculous, but the example she sets genuinely looks impeccably styled.
Whatever she turns her beautifully manicured, diamond-adorned hand to, she accomplishes with style. Her recipes looks tasty, the festive decoration she makes is stunning, her gifts are practically too exquisite to open. Not a single thing is ordinary or visually unappealing – even the way she fastens her apron is artful and chic. She doesn't throw a dish in the oven, it "takes a twirl", and she creases wrapping paper like an craft master. She also seems to be completely savoring herself the entire time. How could any skeptical viewer not be charmed, overcome by festive joy and left with a deep longing for crafted festive snaps or a crudites platter where broccoli is arranged in the form of a wreath?
Meghan used to pretend for a living, obviously, but despite that, after the intensity of scrutiny she has endured since she met Prince Harry, even a hypothetical offspring of Meryl Streep and Judi Dench would have difficulty behaving this authentically. Her refusal to modify or even moderate her shtick, even though it being so relentlessly, globally mocked, is strangely reassuring. In our uncertain world, here is one thing we can depend on: Meghan will remain herself, no matter what. We will consistently know our position with her.
If you're not yet convinced by her brand, a thought that will undoubtedly come as a reassurance: you are not obligated to. There isn't mandatory conscription these days, and were it to return, it would be unlikely to include watching With Love, Meghan: Holiday Celebration. If, however, you willingly check it out and are overcome with longing about her picture-perfect Christmas, there is hope either. Be you a royal or a office worker, few children truly appreciates the time and energy their mother puts in in the holiday season. So you can console yourself by envisioning her children's faces when they reveal a calligraphy note that says, 'I love you because you are brave,' from a DIY festive calendar, rather than a chocolate.
