Indeed, it's Packed with Absurdity, Over-the-Top Hospitality and Psychobabble. However, I Honestly Adore Meghan's Holiday Special.
No matter the season, it's perpetually open season for scrutiny on the Duchess of Sussex's TV show, With Love, Meghan. Critics, both professional and armchair, have seldom found such common ground as when eagerly tearing the lifestyle show's initial installments to pieces. The common opinion was that a bigger monarchy-related faux pas had never been witnessed than the notorious snack re-labeling incident.
Presently, in the spirit of a holiday maverick, she is back once again with a "Festive Special" (or a Christmas special). But this time, things have shifted. The familiar ingredients viewers are accustomed to – psychobabble word salads, extreme hosting – are still present, but set of a Christmas special, the purpose becomes clear. The puzzle has come into place; it's a ideal seasonal storm.
At this stage, Meghan resembles the eccentric aunt at the typical holiday get-together – dispensing random tips, and supplying the occasional strange exclamation. ("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 strangely comforting. And she appears pleased; she's not doing a bit of damage.
She understands her all subtle gestures, utterance and look will be picked apart and criticised, but manages to seem carefree and too blessed to be stressed.
It could be this is the first occasion in history where that clichéd phrase – "Pay no mind, it's only envy" – could actually be true. The reason is, you know what?, each element in Meghan's Holiday Celebration is delightful. Yes, it's all cringily ultra-extra, silliness and extravagant – but doesn't that represent precisely what Christmas is for? And the words she speaks might be ridiculous, but the example she sets seems authentically impeccably styled.
Anything she turns her beautifully manicured, diamond-adorned hand to, she pulls off with flair. Her culinary efforts looks tasty, the wreath she crafts is breathtaking, her gifts are practically too exquisite to tear into. Not a single thing is ordinary or visually unappealing – including the way she fastens her kitchen garment is stylish and elegant. She doesn't throw a dish in the microwave, it "takes a twirl", and she creases wrapping paper like an craft master. She also seems to be completely savoring herself from start to finish. How could any skeptical viewer not be won over, filled with festive joy and left with a intense desire for crafted festive snaps or a vegetable display where greens is arranged in the form of a wreath?
Meghan was once an actress for a living, naturally, but nonetheless, after the level of scrutiny she has faced from the moment she became involved with Prince Harry, the love child of Meryl Streep and Judi Dench would struggle to act this genuinely. Her unwillingness to alter or even soften her persona, even though it being so constantly, globally mocked, is oddly heartening. In our volatile world, here is something we can rely on: Meghan will be like this, whatever happens. We will always know what to expect with her.
If you're not yet convinced by her brand, a point that will undoubtedly come as a reassurance: you aren't required to. There isn't national service these days, and were it to return, it would be unlikely to include viewing With Love, Meghan: Holiday Celebration. If, on the other hand, you decide to tune in and are consumed by longing about her idyllic Christmas, there is hope either. If you are a royal or a data administrator, hardly any child truly appreciates the effort and hard work their parent expends in December. So you can take heart by picturing the young royals' faces when they unfold a handwritten message that says, 'I love you because you are brave,' from a homemade Advent calendar, instead of a chocolate.
