Admittedly, it's Packed with Nonsense, Extreme Hosting and Self-Help Jargon. But I Do Adore Meghan's Christmas Special.
No concerned with the season, it's always hunting season for criticism on the Duchess of Sussex's TV show, With Love, Meghan. Reviewers, from seasoned journalists to online pundits, have seldom found such common ground as when gleefully ripping the lifestyle show's initial installments to shreds. The general consensus seemed to be a greater royal outrage had never been witnessed than the much-discussed pretzel re-packaging incident.
Currently, like a merry renegade master, she makes a comeback with a new offering with a "Holiday Celebration" (also known as a yuletide episode). But this time, it's different. The familiar ingredients audiences anticipate – vague self-help platitudes, extreme hosting – remain, but within the context of a holiday show, it all clicks into place. The elements have slid together; it's a ideal seasonal storm.
At this stage, Meghan has become the eccentric aunt at the typical holiday get-together – offering unasked-for guidance, and delivering the periodic peculiar declaration. ("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 company is customary and oddly reassuring. And she seems happy enough; she's not doing a bit of damage.
She knows her each tiny facial movement, utterance and gaze will be picked apart and criticised, but manages to seem carefree and remarkably at ease.
Perhaps this is the first occasion in history where that old chestnut – "Don't listen, it's pure jealousy" – could actually be true. Because, in all honesty, each element in Meghan's Holiday Celebration is lovely. Admittedly, it's all painfully excessive, foolishness and over the top – but is that not exactly what Yuletide is about? And the talk she's talking might be absurd, but the example she sets genuinely looks shop-bought.
Whatever she sets her mind to, she accomplishes with flair. Her cooking looks scrumptious, the festive decoration she crafts is stunning, her presents are practically too exquisite to unwrap. Nothing is mediocre or visually unappealing – including the way she secures her apron is artful and chic. She doesn't toss a dish in the microwave, it "goes for a spin", and she creases gift paper like an paper-folding expert. She also seems to be genuinely relishing herself from start to finish. How could any skeptical viewer not be charmed, filled with holiday spirit and left with a intense desire for personalized Christmas crackers or a crudites platter where broccoli is arranged in the likeness of a festive circle?
Meghan had a career in acting for a living, obviously, but despite that, after the level of examination she has weathered ever since she became involved with Prince Harry, even a hypothetical offspring of two legendary actresses would have difficulty behaving this genuinely. Her unwillingness to modify or even moderate her routine, even though it being so relentlessly, globally mocked, is oddly heartening. In our volatile world, here is something we can count on: Meghan will remain herself, come what may. We will forever know where we are with her.
If you're still not buying her brand, a point that will certainly come as a comfort: you are not obligated to. We don't have mandatory conscription in this country, and should it be reinstated, it would be doubtful to include streaming With Love, Meghan: Holiday Celebration. If, on the other hand, you willingly check it out and are gripped with envy about her flawless Christmas, all is not lost either. Whether you're a royal or a data administrator, few children truly appreciates the effort and hard work their parent expends in December. So you can find comfort 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, in place of a chocolate.
