Admittedly, it's Full of Absurdity, Extreme Hosting and Self-Help Jargon. But I Do Adore Meghan's Holiday Special.
No concerned with the time of year, it's constantly fair game for scrutiny on the Duchess of Sussex's televisual offering, With Love, Meghan. Commentators, from seasoned journalists to online pundits, have rarely been so united as when gleefully ripping the series' earlier episodes to pieces. The prevailing view was that a greater royal outrage had never been witnessed than the much-discussed snack re-labeling incident.
Presently, as a festive rebel, she is back with a new offering with a "Festive Special" (or a yuletide episode). However on this occasion, the dynamic has changed. The standard components we've come to expect – meaningless jargon salads, overzealous entertaining – remain, but framed of a yuletide episode, suddenly it all makes sense. The pieces have fallen together; it's a perfect snow storm.
Now, Meghan is like the quirky relative at most festive family gatherings – offering unsolicited, unnecessary advice, and contributing 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 appears content; she's causing the slightest hurt.
She knows her all subtle gestures, word and gaze will be analyzed and scrutinized, but still appears unburdened and too blessed to be stressed.
Maybe this is the only time in history where that clichéd phrase – "Ignore them, they're just jealous" – might be true. Since, you know what?, everything in Meghan's Holiday Celebration truly is delightful. Granted, it's all awkwardly over-the-top, nonsense and flamboyant – but doesn't that represent exactly what the holiday season is all about? And the words she speaks might be ridiculous, but the example she sets genuinely looks impeccably styled.
Anything she turns her beautifully manicured, diamond-adorned hand to, she accomplishes with panache. Her recipes looks scrumptious, the wreath she makes is breathtaking, her presents are nearly too beautiful to unwrap. Not a single thing is ordinary or ugly – even the way she ties her kitchen garment is stylish and elegant. She doesn't bung a meal in the oven, it "has a moment", and she wraps gift paper like an craft master. She also seems to be genuinely relishing herself throughout. How could any skeptical viewer not be charmed, overcome by seasonal cheer and left with a deep longing for handmade crackers or a crudites platter where broccoli is arranged in the likeness of a wreath?
Meghan had a career in acting for a living, obviously, but despite that, after the intensity of scrutiny she has endured since she started dating Prince Harry, a theoretical combination of two legendary actresses would struggle to act this naturally. Her refusal to modify or even tone down her persona, regardless of it being so relentlessly, 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 still not buying her brand, a thought that will surely come as a comfort: you aren't required to. There isn't mandatory conscription these days, and should it be reinstated, it would be improbable to include viewing With Love, Meghan: Holiday Celebration. If, however, you willingly check it out and are gripped with longing about her flawless Christmas, you can take solace either. Be you a duchess or a data administrator, hardly any child completely grasps the dedication and labor their parent puts in in December. So you can find comfort by envisioning the young royals' faces when they reveal a handwritten message that says, 'I love you because you are brave,' from a DIY festive calendar, instead of a sweet treat.