Indeed, it's Packed with Absurdity, Over-the-Top Hospitality and Psychobabble. However, I Honestly Cherish Meghan's Festive Episode.
No considering the time of year, it's perpetually hunting season for criticism on the Duchess of Sussex's televisual offering, With Love, Meghan. Reviewers, both professional and armchair, have rarely been so united as when gleefully ripping the series' first and second seasons to pieces. The common opinion held that a bigger monarchy-related faux pas had never been witnessed than the now-infamous pretzel re-packaging incident.
Presently, in the spirit of a holiday maverick, she is back for another round with a "Holiday Celebration" (also known as a Christmas special). However on this occasion, things have shifted. The standard components viewers are accustomed to – psychobabble word salads, extreme hosting – are still present, but set of a Christmas special, it all clicks into place. The puzzle has come into place; it's a perfect snow storm.
At this stage, Meghan has become the quirky relative at Christmas celebrations everywhere – providing random tips, 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 quite a personality, but her company is customary and strangely comforting. And she looks happy enough; she's inflicting the slightest hurt.
She is aware her every micro expression, syllable and look will be picked apart and criticised, but manages to seem relaxed and serenely untroubled.
It could be this is the initial instance in history where that clichéd phrase – "Ignore them, they're just jealous" – might be true. Since, in all honesty, everything in Meghan's Holiday Celebration truly is charming. Yes, it's all cringily ultra-extra, silliness and flamboyant – but isn't that precisely what Christmas is all about? And the advice she gives might be ridiculous, but the example she sets genuinely looks shop-bought.
Anything she attempts, she executes with flair. Her culinary efforts looks tasty, the wreath she crafts is breathtaking, her gifts are nearly too beautiful to unwrap. Not a single thing is mediocre or aesthetically displeasing – even the way she fastens her kitchen garment is creative and fashionable. She doesn't toss a dish in the oven, it "has a moment", and she creases wrapping paper like an craft master. She also seems to be completely savoring herself throughout. How could any cynical observer not be won over, overcome by festive joy and left with a deep longing for handmade crackers or a crudites platter where greens is organized in the likeness of a festive circle?
Meghan used to pretend for a living, naturally, but even so, after the degree of attention she has faced since she became involved with Prince Harry, even a hypothetical offspring of Meryl Streep and Judi Dench would struggle to act this naturally. Her refusal to alter or even soften her shtick, even though it being so persistently, globally mocked, is oddly heartening. In our uncertain world, here is one thing we can rely on: Meghan will stay true to form, come what may. We will consistently know our position with her.
If you're not yet convinced by what she's selling, a point that will undoubtedly come as a comfort: you don't have to. There isn't national service anymore, and if there were, it would be improbable to include watching With Love, Meghan: Holiday Celebration. If, however, you decide to tune in and are overcome with envy about her picture-perfect Christmas, there is hope either. Whether you're a royal or a office worker, no kid truly appreciates the effort and hard work their parent puts in in December. So you can take heart by picturing Archie and Lilibet's faces when they open a beautifully scripted letter that says, 'I love you because you are brave,' from a DIY festive calendar, in place of a sweet treat.
