Admittedly, it's Packed with Absurdity, Extreme Hosting and Self-Help Jargon. However, I Honestly Adore Meghan's Christmas Special.
No matter the time of year, it's constantly hunting season for commentary on the Duchess of Sussex's TV show, With Love, Meghan. Critics, from seasoned journalists to online pundits, have seldom found such common ground as when gleefully ripping the series' initial installments apart. The prevailing view held that a bigger monarchy-related faux pas had seldom occurred than the notorious pretzel-bagging incident.
Presently, as a festive rebel, she has returned once again with a "Christmas Special" (also known as a holiday episode). But this time, it's different. The usual elements viewers are accustomed to – psychobabble word salads, intense hospitality – are still present, but within the context of a holiday show, it all clicks into place. The puzzle has come into place; it's a perfect snow storm.
By this point, Meghan has become the oddball family member at the typical holiday get-together – dispensing random tips, and supplying 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 a bit of a character, but her presence is familiar and unexpectedly soothing. And she appears happy enough; she's inflicting any harm.
She knows her every micro expression, utterance and gaze will be analyzed and scrutinized, but nonetheless looks relaxed and serenely untroubled.
Perhaps this is the only time in history where that well-worn saying – "Don't listen, it's pure jealousy" – could actually be true. Because, in all honesty, all aspects in Meghan's Holiday Celebration is charming. Granted, it's all painfully excessive, nonsense and extravagant – but is that not precisely what the holiday season is about? And the advice she gives might be ridiculous, but the example she sets seems authentically shop-bought.
Anything she turns her beautifully manicured, diamond-adorned hand to, she pulls off with flair. Her culinary efforts looks tasty, the festive decoration she creates is gorgeous, her gifts are nearly too beautiful to open. Nothing is average or aesthetically displeasing – even the way she fastens her apron is artful and chic. She doesn't bung a dish in the microwave, it "takes a twirl", and she wraps wrapping paper like an origami guru. She also seems to be completely savoring herself the entire time. How could any skeptical viewer not be convinced, bursting with seasonal cheer and left with a intense desire for personalized Christmas crackers or a vegetable display where broccoli is arranged in the shape of a Christmas ring?
Meghan had a career in acting for a living, naturally, but even so, after the degree of examination she has faced since she became involved with Prince Harry, a theoretical combination of two legendary actresses would struggle to act this authentically. Her unwillingness to change or even moderate her shtick, even though it being so relentlessly, globally mocked, is strangely reassuring. In our unpredictable world, here is something we can rely on: Meghan will remain herself, come what may. We will always know where we are with her.
If you're not yet convinced by what she's selling, a reminder that will surely come as a relief: you are not obligated to. We don't have national service anymore, and were it to return, it would be improbable to include viewing With Love, Meghan: Holiday Celebration. If, however, you decide to tune in and are overcome with jealousy about her picture-perfect Christmas, there is hope either. Whether you're a royal or a office worker, few children completely grasps the effort and hard work their mother does in December. So you can take heart by envisioning her children's faces when they reveal a handwritten message that says, 'I love you because you are brave,' from a homemade Advent calendar, rather than a chocolate.
