Admittedly, it's Full of Nonsense, Extreme Hosting and Psychobabble. But I Do Love Meghan's Holiday Special.
No concerned with the season, it's always hunting season for commentary on the Duchess of Sussex's TV show, With Love, Meghan. Commentators, both professional and armchair, have hardly ever agreed so completely as when gleefully ripping the program's earlier episodes to pieces. The common opinion seemed to be a more egregious regal scandal had seldom occurred than the now-infamous snack re-labeling incident.
Now, as a festive rebel, she makes a comeback for another round with a "Festive Special" (aka a holiday episode). Yet now, the dynamic has changed. The familiar ingredients we've come to expect – psychobabble word salads, extreme hosting – persist, but within the context of a Christmas special, the purpose becomes clear. The pieces have fallen perfectly; it's a ideal seasonal storm.
By this point, Meghan is like the oddball family member at Christmas celebrations everywhere – offering unasked-for guidance, and delivering 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 an interesting figure, but her presence is familiar and unexpectedly soothing. And she looks happy enough; she's causing any harm.
She is aware her every micro expression, utterance and glance will be analyzed and scrutinized, but manages to seem relaxed and too blessed to be stressed.
It could be this is the only time in history where that well-worn saying – "Don't listen, it's pure jealousy" – might be true. Because, in all honesty, each element in Meghan's Holiday Celebration honestly feels charming. Yes, it's all cringily ultra-extra, silliness and extravagant – but isn't that exactly what Yuletide is for? And the advice she gives might be laughable, but the walk she's walking seems authentically shop-bought.
Anything she turns her beautifully manicured, diamond-adorned hand to, she accomplishes with panache. Her recipes looks scrumptious, the festive decoration she crafts is stunning, her gifts are almost too pretty to unwrap. Nothing is mediocre or ugly – even the way she ties her apron is creative and fashionable. She doesn't throw a meal in the microwave, it "goes for a spin", and she wraps gift paper like an paper-folding expert. She also seems to be completely savoring herself throughout. How could any skeptical viewer not be convinced, filled with festive joy and left with a intense desire for crafted festive snaps or a vegetable display where greens is positioned in the shape of a Christmas ring?
Meghan had a career in acting for a living, of course, but despite that, after the degree of attention she has faced since she started dating Prince Harry, the love child of two legendary actresses would have difficulty behaving this naturally. Her refusal to modify or even soften her persona, despite it being so persistently, internationally ridiculed, is weirdly comforting. In our volatile world, here is something we can count on: Meghan will be like this, whatever happens. We will forever know what to expect with her.
If you're remaining skeptical of her message, a reminder that will surely come as a relief: you are not obligated to. We don't have mandatory conscription anymore, and were it to return, it would be doubtful to include streaming With Love, Meghan: Holiday Celebration. If, conversely, you choose to watch and are gripped with longing about her picture-perfect Christmas, you can take solace either. Whether you're a duchess or a data administrator, hardly any child completely grasps the time and energy their mum expends in December. So you can find comfort by imagining Archie and Lilibet's faces when they reveal a calligraphy note that says, 'I love you because you are brave,' from a DIY festive calendar, rather than a chocolate.
