Admittedly, it's Packed with Gibberish, Extreme Hosting and Psychobabble. However, I Honestly Adore Meghan's Christmas Special.
No concerned with the time of year, it's constantly open 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 hardly ever taken place than the much-discussed pretzel-bagging incident.
Now, as a festive rebel, she is back once again with a "Festive Special" (or a Christmas special). However on this occasion, things have shifted. The usual elements audiences anticipate – vague self-help platitudes, extreme hosting – remain, but framed of a yuletide episode, it all clicks into place. The pieces have fallen together; it's a ideal seasonal storm.
Now, Meghan is like the quirky relative at the typical holiday get-together – providing unsolicited, unnecessary advice, and contributing 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 an interesting figure, but her aura is known and unexpectedly soothing. And she seems pleased; she's causing a bit of damage.
She is aware her all subtle gestures, utterance and look will be picked apart and criticised, but nonetheless looks unburdened and too blessed to be stressed.
It could be this is the only time in history where that old chestnut – "Pay no mind, it's only envy" – might be true. The reason is, let's face it, everything in Meghan's Holiday Celebration honestly feels delightful. Yes, it's all awkwardly over-the-top, foolishness and flamboyant – but isn't that just what the holiday season is all about? And the words she speaks might be ridiculous, but the life she leads seems authentically beautifully curated.
Whatever she attempts, she executes with panache. Her cooking looks tasty, the wreath she crafts is gorgeous, her gifts are almost too pretty to open. Nothing is ordinary or ugly – 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 folds gift paper like an paper-folding expert. She also seems to be genuinely relishing herself throughout. How could any skeptical viewer not be won over, bursting with holiday spirit and left with a powerful yearning for crafted festive snaps or a crudites platter where greens is arranged in the form of a festive circle?
Meghan had a career in acting for a living, naturally, but nonetheless, after the intensity of scrutiny she has weathered since she started dating Prince Harry, even a hypothetical offspring of Meryl Streep and Judi Dench would find it hard to appear this naturally. Her refusal to change or even soften her routine, even though it being so constantly, widely parodied, is strangely reassuring. In our uncertain world, here is one thing we can rely on: Meghan will be like this, whatever happens. We will consistently know our position with her.
If you're not yet convinced by her brand, a reminder that will certainly come as a relief: you aren't required to. There isn't the draft anymore, and should it be reinstated, it would be improbable to include watching With Love, Meghan: Holiday Celebration. If, however, you choose to watch and are gripped with longing about her picture-perfect Christmas, you can take solace either. Be you a duchess or a data administrator, few children completely grasps the effort and hard work their parent puts in in December. So you can console yourself by envisioning her children's faces when they open a handwritten message that says, 'I love you because you are brave,' from a homemade Advent calendar, in place of a candy.
