Admittedly, it's Brimming with Absurdity, Over-the-Top Hospitality and Self-Help Jargon. Yet I Truly Adore Meghan's Christmas Special.
No considering the season, it's perpetually open season for scrutiny on the Duchess of Sussex's Netflix series, With Love, Meghan. Critics, from seasoned journalists to online pundits, have seldom found such common ground as when enthusiastically shredding the lifestyle show's earlier episodes to shreds. The general consensus was that a more egregious regal scandal had never been witnessed than the now-infamous pretzel-bagging incident.
Currently, like a merry renegade master, she makes a comeback with a new offering with a "Christmas Special" (aka a holiday episode). But this time, the dynamic has changed. The usual elements audiences anticipate – meaningless jargon salads, overzealous entertaining – persist, but set of a yuletide episode, it all clicks into place. The elements have slid into place; it's a ideal seasonal storm.
By this point, Meghan is like the quirky relative at most festive family gatherings – offering unasked-for guidance, 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 quite a personality, but her company is customary and unexpectedly soothing. And she appears happy enough; she's inflicting a bit of damage.
She understands her all subtle gestures, syllable and gaze will be analyzed and judged, but manages to seem relaxed and serenely untroubled.
It could be this is the only time in history where that clichéd phrase – "Don't listen, it's pure jealousy" – could actually be true. The reason is, you know what?, all aspects in Meghan's Holiday Celebration honestly feels delightful. Granted, it's all cringily ultra-extra, silliness and over the top – but isn't that just what the holiday season is all about? And the talk she's talking might be ridiculous, but the walk she's walking appears to be beautifully curated.
Anything she turns her beautifully manicured, diamond-adorned hand to, she accomplishes with style. Her recipes looks tasty, the holiday arrangement she creates is stunning, her gifts are almost too pretty to open. Not a single thing is ordinary or aesthetically displeasing – even the way she fastens her apron is creative and fashionable. She doesn't throw a dish in the oven, it "takes a twirl", and she folds wrapping paper like an paper-folding expert. She also seems to be thoroughly enjoying herself the entire time. How could any hate-watcher not be won over, filled with seasonal cheer and left with a intense desire for personalized Christmas crackers or a vegetable display where greens is arranged in the shape of a wreath?
Meghan had a career in acting for a living, obviously, but even so, after the intensity of attention she has weathered from the moment she started dating Prince Harry, a theoretical combination of acting royalty would struggle to act this genuinely. Her decision to alter or even tone down her persona, despite it being so constantly, globally mocked, is weirdly comforting. In our volatile world, here is one thing we can count on: Meghan will stay true to form, come what may. We will always know what to expect with her.
If you're still not buying what she's selling, a point that will undoubtedly come as a comfort: you are not obligated to. There isn't the draft these days, and were it to return, it would be unlikely to include viewing With Love, Meghan: Holiday Celebration. If, conversely, you choose to watch and are overcome with longing about her flawless Christmas, there is hope either. Whether you're a duchess or a data administrator, few children completely grasps the effort and hard work their mother puts in in the holiday season. So you can console yourself by envisioning her children's 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 sweet treat.
