Admittedly, it's Full of Gibberish, Over-the-Top Hospitality and Psychobabble. Yet I Truly Adore Meghan's Holiday Special.
No matter the season, it's always open season for scrutiny on the Duchess of Sussex's TV show, With Love, Meghan. Commentators, both professional and armchair, have seldom found such common ground as when enthusiastically shredding the series' first and second seasons apart. The general consensus was that a bigger monarchy-related faux pas had seldom occurred than the much-discussed pretzel-bagging incident.
Now, in the spirit of a holiday maverick, she makes a comeback once again with a "Holiday Celebration" (also known as a holiday episode). But this time, things have shifted. The familiar ingredients we've come to expect – vague self-help platitudes, overzealous entertaining – are still present, but within the context of a Christmas special, it all clicks into place. The pieces have fallen together; it's a flawless festive blizzard.
At this stage, Meghan has become the oddball family member at most festive family gatherings – dispensing unasked-for guidance, and delivering the occasional strange exclamation. ("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 an interesting figure, but her presence is familiar and oddly reassuring. And she appears content; she's inflicting a bit of damage.
She knows her every micro expression, utterance and look will be dissected and criticised, but manages to seem relaxed and too blessed to be stressed.
It could be this is the first occasion in history where that clichéd phrase – "Don't listen, it's pure jealousy" – might be true. Because, in all honesty, each element in Meghan's Holiday Celebration is charming. Yes, it's all awkwardly over-the-top, nonsense and flamboyant – but isn't that exactly what the holiday season is about? And the advice she gives might be ridiculous, but the life she leads genuinely looks impeccably styled.
Anything she sets her mind to, she accomplishes with style. Her culinary efforts looks tasty, the wreath she makes is breathtaking, her gifts are practically too exquisite to open. Not a single thing is ordinary or visually unappealing – including the way she fastens her apron is stylish and elegant. She doesn't throw a dish in the oven, it "goes for a spin", and she wraps wrapping paper like an paper-folding expert. She also seems to be thoroughly enjoying herself from start to finish. How could any skeptical viewer not be charmed, overcome by festive joy and left with a powerful yearning for crafted festive snaps or a vegetable display where greens is arranged in the likeness of a wreath?
Meghan used to pretend for a living, naturally, but nonetheless, after the level of attention she has weathered ever since she started dating Prince Harry, a theoretical combination of Meryl Streep and Judi Dench would have difficulty behaving this naturally. Her refusal to modify or even tone down her shtick, regardless of it being so persistently, internationally ridiculed, is oddly heartening. In our unpredictable world, here is one thing we can count on: Meghan will be like this, no matter what. We will always know where we are with her.
If you're not yet convinced by her message, a thought that will certainly come as a comfort: you don't have to. The UK has abolished mandatory conscription in this country, and were it to return, it would be unlikely to include streaming With Love, Meghan: Holiday Celebration. If, on the other hand, you willingly check it out and are consumed by envy about her picture-perfect Christmas, there is hope either. If you are a duchess or a office worker, hardly any child completely grasps the dedication and labor their parent puts in in the holiday season. So you can find comfort by imagining the young royals' faces when they unfold a calligraphy note that says, 'I love you because you are brave,' from a homemade Advent calendar, instead of a chocolate.
