Admittedly, it's Packed with Absurdity, Extreme Hosting and Self-Help Jargon. But I Do Cherish Meghan's Holiday Special.
No considering the time of year, it's always fair game for scrutiny on the Duchess of Sussex's TV show, With Love, Meghan. Commentators, from seasoned journalists to online pundits, have hardly ever agreed so completely as when gleefully ripping the program's first and second seasons to shreds. The common opinion seemed to be a greater royal outrage had never been witnessed than the now-infamous pretzel re-packaging incident.
Presently, like a merry renegade master, she has returned for another round with a "Christmas Special" (also known as a yuletide episode). But this time, it's different. The usual elements we've come to expect – meaningless jargon salads, intense hospitality – persist, but within the context of a holiday show, suddenly it all makes sense. The elements have slid into place; it's a ideal seasonal storm.
By this point, Meghan has become the eccentric aunt at most festive family gatherings – offering random tips, and contributing 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 seems pleased; she's inflicting any harm.
She knows her each tiny facial movement, word and look will be picked apart and scrutinized, but still appears relaxed and too blessed to be stressed.
Perhaps this is the first occasion 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 lovely. Granted, it's all painfully excessive, silliness and flamboyant – but isn't that just what Yuletide is for? And the advice she gives might be laughable, but the walk she's walking seems authentically shop-bought.
Whatever she sets her mind to, she accomplishes with style. Her cooking looks tasty, the holiday arrangement she makes is breathtaking, her presents are almost too pretty to unwrap. Nothing is average or ugly – even the way she ties her kitchen garment is creative and fashionable. She doesn't bung a dish in the oven, it "has a moment", and she folds wrapping paper like an paper-folding expert. She also seems to be genuinely relishing herself the entire time. How could any hate-watcher not be won over, overcome by seasonal cheer and left with a deep longing for handmade crackers or a crudites platter where broccoli is arranged in the shape of a wreath?
Meghan used to pretend for a living, obviously, but despite that, after the degree of scrutiny she has endured ever since she met Prince Harry, a theoretical combination of acting royalty would have difficulty behaving this authentically. Her unwillingness to modify or even tone down her persona, despite it being so relentlessly, internationally ridiculed, is strangely reassuring. In our volatile world, here is something we can rely on: Meghan will be like this, whatever happens. We will consistently know our position with her.
If you're remaining skeptical of what she's selling, a point that will surely come as a reassurance: you aren't required to. We don't have the draft these days, and were it to return, it would be improbable to include watching With Love, Meghan: Holiday Celebration. If, conversely, you willingly check it out and are gripped with longing about her flawless Christmas, all is not lost either. Whether you're a royal or a everyday person, few children fully understands the time and energy their mum does in the holiday season. So you can find comfort by picturing her children's faces when they open a beautifully scripted letter that says, 'I love you because you are brave,' from a homemade Advent calendar, rather than a sweet treat.
