Indeed, it's Packed with Nonsense, Over-the-Top Hospitality and Psychobabble. But I Do Love Meghan's Festive Episode.
No matter the season, it's always hunting season for scrutiny on the Duchess of Sussex's Netflix series, With Love, Meghan. Commentators, from seasoned journalists to online pundits, have seldom found such common ground as when enthusiastically shredding the program's initial installments apart. The general consensus held that a greater royal outrage had never been witnessed than the notorious snack re-labeling incident.
Currently, in the spirit of a holiday maverick, she is back once again with a "Christmas Special" (or a holiday episode). Yet now, the dynamic has changed. The familiar ingredients we've come to expect – psychobabble word salads, extreme hosting – persist, but framed of a Christmas special, suddenly it all makes sense. The puzzle has come together; it's a flawless festive blizzard.
Now, Meghan is like the oddball family member at most festive family gatherings – offering unasked-for guidance, 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 an interesting figure, but her presence is familiar and unexpectedly soothing. And she seems content; she's inflicting any harm.
She is aware her each tiny facial movement, syllable and gaze will be dissected and criticised, but manages to seem relaxed and serenely untroubled.
Maybe this is the initial instance in history where that well-worn saying – "Don't listen, it's pure jealousy" – may well be true. The reason is, let's face it, each element in Meghan's Holiday Celebration is charming. Yes, it's all painfully excessive, foolishness and flamboyant – but isn't that just what the holiday season is for? And the words she speaks might be laughable, but the walk she's walking seems authentically beautifully curated.
Anything she sets her mind to, she executes with style. Her cooking looks delicious, the festive decoration she makes is gorgeous, her presents are almost too pretty to tear into. Nothing is average or aesthetically displeasing – including the way she fastens her kitchen garment is stylish and elegant. She doesn't toss a dish in the oven, it "has a moment", and she wraps gift paper like an paper-folding expert. She also seems to be genuinely relishing herself from start to finish. How could any hate-watcher not be won over, filled with holiday spirit and left with a powerful yearning for crafted festive snaps or a vegetable display where greens is organized in the likeness of a Christmas ring?
Meghan used to pretend for a living, of course, but despite that, after the level of attention she has endured since she started dating Prince Harry, the love child of acting royalty would have difficulty behaving this genuinely. Her decision to alter or even soften her routine, even though it being so relentlessly, widely parodied, is weirdly comforting. In our uncertain world, here is something we can count on: Meghan will remain herself, whatever happens. We will always know our position with her.
If you're still not buying what she's selling, a thought that will undoubtedly come as a reassurance: you aren't required to. We don't have mandatory conscription in this country, and if there were, it would be improbable to include streaming With Love, Meghan: Holiday Celebration. If, however, you willingly check it out and are gripped with jealousy about her picture-perfect Christmas, there is hope either. Whether you're a duchess or a office worker, no kid completely grasps the effort and hard work their parent expends in the holiday season. 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, rather than a sweet treat.