Yes, it's Packed with Gibberish, Extreme Hosting and Psychobabble. Yet I Truly Adore Meghan's Christmas Special.
No matter the time of year, it's constantly fair game for scrutiny on the Duchess of Sussex's Netflix series, With Love, Meghan. Commentators, expert and amateur alike, have seldom found such common ground as when eagerly tearing the lifestyle show's first and second seasons to pieces. The prevailing view held that a bigger monarchy-related faux pas had never been witnessed than the much-discussed snack re-labeling incident.
Currently, like a merry renegade master, she has returned once again with a "Holiday Celebration" (also known as a Christmas special). However on this occasion, things have shifted. The standard components audiences anticipate – psychobabble word salads, overzealous entertaining – are still present, but framed of a holiday show, it all clicks into place. The puzzle has come together; it's a flawless festive blizzard.
By this point, Meghan resembles the oddball family member at most festive family gatherings – dispensing unsolicited, unnecessary advice, and delivering 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 inflicting any harm.
She understands her all subtle gestures, syllable and look will be analyzed and judged, but nonetheless looks carefree and serenely untroubled.
Perhaps this is the only time in history where that old chestnut – "Pay no mind, it's only envy" – could actually be true. The reason is, in all honesty, all aspects in Meghan's Holiday Celebration truly is delightful. Granted, it's all awkwardly over-the-top, nonsense and flamboyant – but is that not exactly what Yuletide is all about? And the talk she's talking might be ridiculous, but the walk she's walking genuinely looks impeccably styled.
Anything she attempts, she pulls off with style. Her cooking looks delicious, the holiday arrangement she makes is gorgeous, her presents are nearly too beautiful to tear into. Nothing is mediocre or ugly – even the way she secures her apron is artful and chic. She doesn't toss a meal in the oven, it "takes a twirl", and she wraps wrapping paper like an craft master. She also seems to be genuinely relishing herself from start to finish. How could any hate-watcher not be charmed, overcome by seasonal cheer and left with a intense desire for personalized Christmas crackers or a vegetable display where broccoli is positioned in the form of a wreath?
Meghan was once an actress for a living, of course, but even so, after the level of scrutiny she has weathered from the moment she started dating Prince Harry, even a hypothetical offspring of acting royalty would have difficulty behaving this naturally. Her decision to modify or even soften her shtick, regardless of it being so persistently, widely parodied, is strangely reassuring. In our volatile world, here is something we can count on: Meghan will remain herself, no matter what. We will consistently know what to expect with her.
If you're not yet convinced by her brand, a reminder that will surely come as a reassurance: you aren't required to. There isn't mandatory conscription anymore, and should it be reinstated, it would be unlikely to include watching With Love, Meghan: Holiday Celebration. If, conversely, you decide to tune in and are consumed by longing about her idyllic Christmas, you can take solace either. Whether you're a duchess or a data administrator, hardly any child completely grasps the time and energy their mother does in the holiday season. So you can console yourself by imagining the young royals' 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.
