Yes, it's Brimming with Absurdity, Extreme Hosting and Psychobabble. But I Do Love Meghan's Holiday Special.
No considering the time of year, it's perpetually open season for criticism on the Duchess of Sussex's Netflix series, With Love, Meghan. Critics, both professional and armchair, have rarely been so united as when gleefully ripping the program's first and second seasons apart. The common opinion held that a bigger monarchy-related faux pas had seldom occurred than the much-discussed pretzel-bagging incident.
Now, in the spirit of a holiday maverick, she is back for another round with a "Holiday Celebration" (or a holiday episode). Yet now, things have shifted. The familiar ingredients viewers are accustomed to – vague self-help platitudes, extreme hosting – remain, but set of a holiday show, the purpose becomes clear. The puzzle has come together; it's a ideal seasonal storm.
Now, Meghan has become the oddball family member at Christmas celebrations everywhere – offering unasked-for guidance, and supplying 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 aura is known and unexpectedly soothing. And she appears happy enough; she's inflicting a bit of damage.
She knows her all subtle gestures, utterance and glance will be analyzed and scrutinized, but still appears carefree and too blessed to be stressed.
Maybe 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. Granted, it's all awkwardly over-the-top, silliness and over the top – but is that not exactly what Yuletide is for? And the words she speaks might be absurd, but the walk she's walking appears to be impeccably styled.
Whatever she attempts, she executes with flair. Her cooking looks delicious, the festive decoration she crafts is gorgeous, her gifts are almost too pretty to tear into. Nothing is mediocre or ugly – even the way she secures her apron is artful and chic. She doesn't toss a meal in the oven, it "goes for a spin", and she wraps gift paper like an origami guru. She also seems to be genuinely relishing herself the entire time. How could any skeptical viewer not be convinced, bursting with seasonal cheer and left with a deep longing for personalized Christmas crackers or a vegetable display where greens is organized in the likeness of a wreath?
Meghan was once an actress for a living, obviously, but despite that, after the intensity of scrutiny she has faced since she started dating Prince Harry, the love child of acting royalty would find it hard to appear this naturally. Her decision to alter or even moderate her persona, regardless of it being so persistently, globally mocked, is weirdly comforting. In our uncertain world, here is one thing we can count on: Meghan will stay true to form, no matter what. We will forever know what to expect with her.
If you're remaining skeptical of what she's selling, a reminder that will certainly come as a relief: you are not obligated to. The UK has abolished national service in this country, and should it be reinstated, it would be improbable to include viewing With Love, Meghan: Holiday Celebration. If, conversely, you choose to watch and are consumed by longing about her flawless Christmas, there is hope either. If you are a duchess or a everyday person, few children completely grasps the effort and hard work their parent puts in in December. So you can take heart 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 candy.
