Indeed, it's Packed with Gibberish, Extreme Hosting and Self-Help Jargon. Yet I Truly Adore Meghan's Festive Episode.
No considering the season, it's always hunting season for scrutiny on the Duchess of Sussex's TV show, With Love, Meghan. Reviewers, expert and amateur alike, have seldom found such common ground as when eagerly tearing the program's earlier episodes apart. The general consensus seemed to be a more egregious regal scandal had never been witnessed than the much-discussed snack re-labeling incident.
Now, in the spirit of a holiday maverick, she has returned for another round with a "Christmas Special" (also known as a holiday episode). However on this occasion, things have shifted. The usual elements viewers are accustomed to – vague self-help platitudes, overzealous entertaining – are still present, but within the context of a yuletide episode, it all clicks into place. The elements have slid into place; it's a ideal seasonal storm.
At this stage, Meghan is like the quirky relative at Christmas celebrations everywhere – providing unasked-for guidance, and supplying 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 quite a personality, but her company is customary and oddly reassuring. And she seems pleased; she's not doing any harm.
She is aware her every micro expression, word and gaze will be dissected and judged, but manages to seem unburdened and too blessed to be stressed.
Perhaps this is the only time in history where that old chestnut – "Don't listen, it's pure jealousy" – may well be true. Since, in all honesty, everything in Meghan's Holiday Celebration is charming. Granted, it's all awkwardly over-the-top, nonsense and extravagant – but is that not exactly what Christmas is all about? And the words she speaks might be ridiculous, but the life she leads genuinely looks beautifully curated.
Whatever she sets her mind to, she pulls off with panache. Her cooking looks delicious, the wreath she crafts is stunning, her presents are almost too pretty to open. Not a single thing is average or ugly – including the way she secures her apron is artful and chic. She doesn't throw a dish in the oven, it "goes for a spin", and she folds wrapping paper like an paper-folding expert. She also seems to be genuinely relishing herself throughout. How could any skeptical viewer not be won over, bursting with festive joy and left with a powerful yearning for personalized Christmas crackers or a crudites platter where broccoli is organized in the likeness of a festive circle?
Meghan was once an actress for a living, obviously, but even so, after the level of attention she has weathered from the moment she became involved with Prince Harry, a theoretical combination of two legendary actresses would struggle to act this authentically. Her unwillingness to alter or even tone down her routine, despite it being so relentlessly, globally mocked, is oddly heartening. In our unpredictable world, here is one thing we can count on: Meghan will be like this, whatever happens. We will always know where we are with her.
If you're not yet convinced by her brand, a thought that will surely come as a relief: you aren't required to. There isn't national service these days, and should it be reinstated, it would be unlikely to include watching With Love, Meghan: Holiday Celebration. If, on the other hand, you choose to watch and are gripped with longing about her idyllic Christmas, you can take solace either. Be you a royal or a office worker, hardly any child fully understands the dedication and labor their mother expends in December. So you can console yourself by imagining Archie and Lilibet's faces when they reveal a handwritten message that says, 'I love you because you are brave,' from a handcrafted holiday countdown, rather than a sweet treat.