Indeed, it's Brimming with Nonsense, Over-the-Top Hospitality and Psychobabble. But I Do Cherish Meghan's Holiday Special.
No matter the time of year, it's perpetually hunting season for commentary on the Duchess of Sussex's Netflix series, With Love, Meghan. Critics, expert and amateur alike, have seldom found such common ground as when eagerly tearing the program's first and second seasons to pieces. The general consensus held that a bigger monarchy-related faux pas had seldom occurred than the now-infamous pretzel-bagging incident.
Currently, in the spirit of a holiday maverick, she is back once again with a "Festive Special" (aka a Christmas special). However on this occasion, things have shifted. The familiar ingredients audiences anticipate – vague self-help platitudes, intense hospitality – persist, but within the context of a yuletide episode, the purpose becomes clear. The pieces have fallen together; it's a ideal seasonal storm.
Now, Meghan resembles the eccentric aunt at the typical holiday get-together – offering unsolicited, unnecessary advice, 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 presence is familiar and unexpectedly soothing. And she seems pleased; she's causing any harm.
She knows her all subtle gestures, utterance and gaze will be analyzed and judged, but manages to seem carefree and serenely untroubled.
It could be this is the only time in history where that well-worn saying – "Don't listen, it's pure jealousy" – might be true. Because, let's face it, everything in Meghan's Holiday Celebration truly is lovely. Admittedly, it's all painfully excessive, silliness and flamboyant – but doesn't that represent precisely what Christmas is all about? And the advice she gives might be absurd, but the example she sets appears to be shop-bought.
Whatever she attempts, she accomplishes with style. Her cooking looks scrumptious, the wreath she crafts is stunning, her gifts are nearly too beautiful to unwrap. Nothing is average or visually unappealing – including the way she secures her kitchen garment is stylish and elegant. She doesn't toss a dish in the oven, it "has a moment", and she folds gift paper like an paper-folding expert. She also seems to be genuinely relishing herself throughout. How could any cynical observer not be won over, overcome by holiday spirit and left with a powerful yearning for crafted festive snaps or a crudites platter where greens is positioned in the likeness of a festive circle?
Meghan used to pretend for a living, naturally, but nonetheless, after the degree of scrutiny she has endured from the moment she became involved with Prince Harry, a theoretical combination of two legendary actresses would have difficulty behaving this authentically. Her decision to modify or even soften her shtick, regardless of it being so constantly, internationally ridiculed, is strangely reassuring. In our unpredictable world, here is one thing we can depend on: Meghan will stay true to form, no matter what. We will consistently know what to expect with her.
If you're remaining skeptical of what she's selling, a thought that will surely come as a comfort: you are not obligated to. There isn't the draft in this country, and if there were, it would be doubtful to include viewing With Love, Meghan: Holiday Celebration. If, on the other hand, you choose to watch and are consumed by envy about her flawless Christmas, you can take solace either. Be you a royal or a office worker, few children fully understands the time and energy their mum puts in in the holiday season. So you can console yourself by picturing her children's faces when they reveal a beautifully scripted letter that says, 'I love you because you are brave,' from a homemade Advent calendar, instead of a chocolate.