Yes, it's Brimming with Gibberish, Over-the-Top Hospitality and Self-Help Jargon. Yet I Truly Adore Meghan's Holiday Special.
No matter the time of year, it's constantly hunting season for commentary on the Duchess of Sussex's Netflix series, With Love, Meghan. Reviewers, expert and amateur alike, have rarely been so united as when gleefully ripping the lifestyle show's first and second seasons to pieces. The general consensus held that a greater royal outrage had hardly ever taken place than the much-discussed pretzel re-packaging incident.
Presently, as a festive rebel, she is back for another round with a "Festive Special" (or a Christmas special). However on this occasion, the dynamic has changed. The familiar ingredients we've come to expect – meaningless jargon salads, extreme hosting – remain, but within the context of a yuletide episode, it all clicks into place. The pieces have fallen together; it's a flawless festive blizzard.
By this point, Meghan resembles the oddball family member at Christmas celebrations everywhere – offering unasked-for guidance, 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 quite a personality, but her presence is familiar and unexpectedly soothing. And she appears pleased; she's causing a bit of damage.
She knows her each tiny facial movement, word and glance will be dissected and criticised, but nonetheless looks carefree and serenely untroubled.
It could be this is the only time in history where that clichéd phrase – "Don't listen, it's pure jealousy" – might be true. Since, in all honesty, all aspects in Meghan's Holiday Celebration truly is lovely. Admittedly, it's all awkwardly over-the-top, silliness and flamboyant – but isn't that exactly what Christmas is all about? And the words she speaks might be ridiculous, but the walk she's walking appears to be impeccably styled.
Whatever she sets her mind to, she executes with panache. Her cooking looks tasty, the festive decoration she creates is breathtaking, her presents are practically too exquisite to tear into. Not a single thing is ordinary or aesthetically displeasing – including the way she ties her apron is stylish and elegant. She doesn't toss a meal in the oven, it "has a moment", and she folds gift paper like an craft master. She also seems to be thoroughly enjoying herself throughout. How could any skeptical viewer not be charmed, bursting with festive joy and left with a powerful yearning for crafted festive snaps or a crudites platter where greens is arranged in the likeness of a festive circle?
Meghan was once an actress for a living, of course, but nonetheless, after the intensity of attention she has faced from the moment she met Prince Harry, a theoretical combination of Meryl Streep and Judi Dench would find it hard to appear this genuinely. Her unwillingness to change or even soften her persona, even though it being so constantly, widely parodied, is weirdly comforting. In our unpredictable world, here is one thing we can rely on: Meghan will stay true to form, no matter what. We will forever know where we are with her.
If you're not yet convinced by her brand, a point that will certainly come as a reassurance: you don't have to. The UK has abolished national service in this country, and should it be reinstated, it would be doubtful to include viewing With Love, Meghan: Holiday Celebration. If, conversely, you choose to watch and are consumed by longing about her flawless Christmas, there is hope either. Be you a royal or a data administrator, no kid fully understands the effort and hard work their mother puts in in the holiday season. So you can find comfort by picturing the young royals' faces when they unfold a handwritten message that says, 'I love you because you are brave,' from a DIY festive calendar, in place of a candy.
