Indeed, it's Packed with Absurdity, Over-the-Top Hospitality and Self-Help Jargon. But I Do Cherish Meghan's Christmas Special.
No concerned with the season, it's constantly open season for commentary on the Duchess of Sussex's TV show, With Love, Meghan. Critics, both professional and armchair, have hardly ever agreed so completely as when eagerly tearing the series' first and second seasons to pieces. The common opinion held that a bigger monarchy-related faux pas had seldom occurred than the much-discussed pretzel-bagging incident.
Currently, in the spirit of a holiday maverick, she has returned with a new offering with a "Holiday Celebration" (also known as a Christmas special). But this time, it's different. The usual elements we've come to expect – meaningless jargon salads, overzealous entertaining – persist, but framed of a Christmas special, the purpose becomes clear. The puzzle has come perfectly; it's a flawless festive blizzard.
At this stage, Meghan resembles the eccentric aunt at most festive family gatherings – 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 quite a personality, but her company is customary and oddly reassuring. And she seems content; she's inflicting any harm.
She understands her each tiny facial movement, word and look will be analyzed and judged, but still appears relaxed and serenely untroubled.
Perhaps this is the only time in history where that old chestnut – "Don't listen, it's pure jealousy" – could actually be true. Since, you know what?, all aspects in Meghan's Holiday Celebration truly is delightful. Granted, it's all painfully excessive, foolishness and over the top – but doesn't that represent precisely what Yuletide is for? And the words she speaks might be absurd, but the example she sets seems authentically beautifully curated.
Anything she attempts, she pulls off with panache. Her cooking looks scrumptious, the wreath she creates is gorgeous, her gifts are nearly too beautiful to tear into. Not a single thing is mediocre or visually unappealing – including the way she ties her apron is stylish and elegant. She doesn't toss a dish in the oven, it "takes a twirl", and she creases wrapping paper like an origami guru. She also seems to be genuinely relishing herself from start to finish. How could any skeptical viewer not be convinced, bursting with holiday spirit and left with a intense desire for personalized Christmas crackers or a crudites platter where greens is organized in the form of a festive circle?
Meghan had a career in acting for a living, naturally, but nonetheless, after the degree of examination she has endured from the moment she started dating Prince Harry, even a hypothetical offspring of Meryl Streep and Judi Dench would find it hard to appear this genuinely. Her unwillingness to alter or even tone down her persona, even though it being so relentlessly, globally mocked, is oddly heartening. In our volatile world, here is one thing we can count on: Meghan will be like this, come what may. We will consistently know our position with her.
If you're still not buying her message, a thought that will surely come as a comfort: you aren't required to. The UK has abolished mandatory conscription anymore, and should it be reinstated, it would be doubtful to include streaming With Love, Meghan: Holiday Celebration. If, conversely, you choose to watch and are overcome with longing about her idyllic Christmas, there is hope either. Whether you're a duchess or a everyday person, few children truly appreciates the effort and hard work their mum does in the holiday season. So you can console yourself by envisioning Archie and Lilibet's faces when they unfold a beautifully scripted letter that says, 'I love you because you are brave,' from a DIY festive calendar, instead of a candy.
