Indeed, it's Brimming with Nonsense, Over-the-Top Hospitality and Self-Help Jargon. But I Do Adore Meghan's Holiday Special.
No matter the season, it's perpetually fair game for commentary on the Duchess of Sussex's televisual offering, With Love, Meghan. Commentators, both professional and armchair, have seldom found such common ground as when eagerly tearing the program's earlier episodes to pieces. The common opinion was that a bigger monarchy-related faux pas had never been witnessed than the now-infamous pretzel re-packaging incident.
Now, like a merry renegade master, she has returned once again with a "Holiday Celebration" (aka a Christmas special). But this time, the dynamic has changed. The usual elements we've come to expect – meaningless jargon salads, overzealous entertaining – persist, but within the context of a holiday show, it all clicks into place. The pieces have fallen perfectly; it's a flawless festive blizzard.
Now, Meghan resembles the oddball family member at Christmas celebrations everywhere – dispensing 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 unexpectedly soothing. And she appears happy enough; she's causing the slightest hurt.
She knows her every micro expression, utterance and glance will be picked apart and criticised, but manages to seem carefree and serenely untroubled.
It could be this is the first occasion in history where that clichéd phrase – "Don't listen, it's pure jealousy" – could actually be true. Since, you know what?, each element in Meghan's Holiday Celebration is delightful. Granted, it's all cringily ultra-extra, nonsense and flamboyant – but doesn't that represent just what Christmas is all about? And the advice she gives might be laughable, but the life she leads genuinely looks shop-bought.
Anything she turns her beautifully manicured, diamond-adorned hand to, she pulls off with flair. Her recipes looks delicious, the festive decoration she makes is stunning, her gifts are nearly too beautiful to open. Not a single thing is mediocre or aesthetically displeasing – including the way she fastens her kitchen garment is artful and chic. She doesn't toss a dish in the microwave, it "takes a twirl", and she wraps wrapping paper like an origami guru. She also seems to be thoroughly enjoying herself from start to finish. How could any hate-watcher not be convinced, overcome by holiday spirit and left with a intense desire for personalized Christmas crackers or a vegetable display where broccoli is arranged in the likeness of a wreath?
Meghan had a career in acting for a living, of course, but even so, after the degree of scrutiny she has weathered from the moment she met Prince Harry, the love child of acting royalty would struggle to act this naturally. Her unwillingness to change or even moderate her routine, even though it being so relentlessly, globally mocked, is oddly heartening. In our unpredictable world, here is something we can rely on: Meghan will be like this, no matter what. We will consistently know our position with her.
If you're remaining skeptical of her message, a reminder that will certainly come as a relief: you don't have to. There isn't mandatory conscription these days, and were it to return, it would be improbable to include streaming With Love, Meghan: Holiday Celebration. If, conversely, you decide to tune in and are consumed by envy about her picture-perfect Christmas, you can take solace either. Be you a duchess or a office worker, few children truly appreciates the effort and hard work their mother expends in the holiday season. So you can find comfort by envisioning her children's faces when they unfold a beautifully scripted letter that says, 'I love you because you are brave,' from a handcrafted holiday countdown, in place of a candy.
