Indeed, it's Brimming with Gibberish, Over-the-Top Hospitality and Self-Help Jargon. But I Do Love Meghan's Festive Episode.
No considering the time of year, it's constantly open season for criticism on the Duchess of Sussex's Netflix series, With Love, Meghan. Commentators, expert and amateur alike, have seldom found such common ground as when gleefully ripping the lifestyle show's first and second seasons to shreds. The general consensus was that a bigger monarchy-related faux pas had seldom occurred than the notorious pretzel-bagging incident.
Presently, as a festive rebel, she makes a comeback once again with a "Festive Special" (also known as a Christmas special). However on this occasion, the dynamic has changed. The standard components we've come to expect – psychobabble word salads, intense hospitality – are still present, but set of a Christmas special, the purpose becomes clear. The puzzle has come into place; it's a perfect snow storm.
Now, Meghan resembles the oddball family member at Christmas celebrations everywhere – providing unsolicited, unnecessary advice, and delivering 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 an interesting figure, but her company is customary and oddly reassuring. And she appears pleased; she's causing any harm.
She knows her every micro expression, syllable and gaze will be analyzed and criticised, but still appears carefree and serenely untroubled.
Maybe this is the initial instance in history where that clichéd phrase – "Don't listen, it's pure jealousy" – might be true. The reason is, in all honesty, everything in Meghan's Holiday Celebration truly is delightful. Yes, it's all cringily ultra-extra, silliness and flamboyant – but doesn't that represent just what the holiday season is for? And the advice she gives might be ridiculous, but the life she leads seems authentically beautifully curated.
Anything she sets her mind to, she pulls off with style. Her culinary efforts looks delicious, the festive decoration she crafts is breathtaking, her gifts are nearly too beautiful to tear into. Not a single thing is ordinary or ugly – including the way she fastens her kitchen garment is artful and chic. 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 genuinely relishing herself from start to finish. How could any skeptical viewer not be charmed, filled with holiday spirit and left with a intense desire for personalized Christmas crackers or a crudites platter where greens is organized in the likeness of a Christmas ring?
Meghan was once an actress for a living, of course, but nonetheless, after the level of scrutiny she has weathered since she became involved with Prince Harry, even a hypothetical offspring of Meryl Streep and Judi Dench would have difficulty behaving this genuinely. Her unwillingness to alter or even moderate her routine, even though it being so persistently, internationally ridiculed, is weirdly comforting. In our volatile world, here is something we can count on: Meghan will remain herself, come what may. We will always know our position with her.
If you're not yet convinced by her message, a thought that will undoubtedly come as a reassurance: you don't have to. There isn't mandatory conscription these days, and were it to return, it would be unlikely to include streaming With Love, Meghan: Holiday Celebration. If, conversely, you decide to tune in and are gripped with jealousy about her flawless Christmas, all is not lost either. Be you a duchess or a office worker, hardly any child fully understands the dedication and labor their mother expends in December. So you can console yourself by envisioning her children's faces when they open a handwritten message that says, 'I love you because you are brave,' from a DIY festive calendar, in place of a sweet treat.
