Indeed, it's Packed with Gibberish, Extreme Hosting and Self-Help Jargon. Yet I Truly Cherish Meghan's Christmas Special.
No matter the time of year, it's always open season for scrutiny on the Duchess of Sussex's Netflix series, With Love, Meghan. Commentators, expert and amateur alike, have seldom found such common ground as when enthusiastically shredding the lifestyle show's first and second seasons to pieces. The general consensus was that a bigger monarchy-related faux pas had hardly ever taken place than the notorious pretzel re-packaging incident.
Currently, like a merry renegade master, she makes a comeback once again with a "Festive Special" (or a yuletide episode). Yet now, it's different. The familiar ingredients viewers are accustomed to – vague self-help platitudes, intense hospitality – remain, but framed of a Christmas special, suddenly it all makes sense. The puzzle has come perfectly; it's a perfect snow storm.
At this stage, Meghan is like the eccentric aunt at the typical holiday get-together – dispensing unsolicited, unnecessary advice, and supplying the odd random outburst. ("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 oddly reassuring. And she seems content; she's inflicting a bit of damage.
She is aware her all subtle gestures, syllable and gaze will be dissected and criticised, but manages to seem unburdened and remarkably at ease.
Perhaps this is the only time in history where that old chestnut – "Pay no mind, it's only envy" – may well be true. Because, you know what?, each element in Meghan's Holiday Celebration is lovely. Admittedly, it's all awkwardly over-the-top, nonsense and over the top – but is that not precisely what Yuletide is all about? And the advice she gives might be laughable, but the life she leads seems authentically impeccably styled.
Anything she attempts, she accomplishes with style. Her cooking looks scrumptious, the wreath she crafts is stunning, her presents are practically too exquisite to unwrap. Nothing is ordinary or visually unappealing – even the way she secures her kitchen garment is creative and fashionable. She doesn't throw a meal in the microwave, it "goes for a spin", and she folds gift paper like an origami guru. She also seems to be completely savoring herself the entire time. How could any cynical observer not be charmed, filled with festive joy and left with a deep longing for personalized Christmas crackers or a vegetable display where greens is arranged in the likeness of a festive circle?
Meghan was once an actress for a living, of course, but even so, after the intensity of attention she has faced from the moment she met Prince Harry, the love child of Meryl Streep and Judi Dench would struggle to act this naturally. Her unwillingness to change or even tone down her persona, despite it being so relentlessly, internationally ridiculed, is weirdly comforting. In our volatile world, here is something we can depend on: Meghan will remain herself, come what may. We will consistently know our position with her.
If you're not yet convinced by her brand, a thought that will undoubtedly come as a comfort: you are not obligated to. The UK has abolished the draft in this country, and should it be reinstated, it would be improbable to include watching With Love, Meghan: Holiday Celebration. If, conversely, you willingly check it out and are consumed by longing about her idyllic Christmas, there is hope either. Be you a royal or a everyday person, hardly any child truly appreciates the time and energy their mum does in the holiday season. So you can find comfort by picturing the young royals' faces when they reveal a calligraphy note that says, 'I love you because you are brave,' from a DIY festive calendar, in place of a chocolate.
