Admittedly, it's Packed with Gibberish, Extreme Hosting and Self-Help Jargon. Yet I Truly Love Meghan's Festive Episode.
No considering the season, it's always fair game for criticism on the Duchess of Sussex's Netflix series, With Love, Meghan. Critics, expert and amateur alike, have hardly ever agreed so completely as when gleefully ripping the series' initial installments to shreds. The general consensus seemed to be a greater royal outrage had never been witnessed than the notorious pretzel-bagging incident.
Now, as a festive rebel, she has returned once again with a "Holiday Celebration" (or a Christmas special). But this time, it's different. The usual elements viewers are accustomed to – vague self-help platitudes, extreme hosting – persist, but within the context of a yuletide episode, it all clicks into place. The elements have slid together; it's a perfect snow storm.
By this point, Meghan has become the quirky relative at the typical holiday get-together – providing unsolicited, unnecessary advice, and supplying the periodic peculiar declaration. ("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 presence is familiar and unexpectedly soothing. And she seems content; she's not doing a bit of damage.
She understands her all subtle gestures, utterance and gaze will be analyzed and scrutinized, but nonetheless looks relaxed and too blessed to be stressed.
Perhaps this is the first occasion in history where that old chestnut – "Ignore them, they're just jealous" – may well be true. Because, in all honesty, each element in Meghan's Holiday Celebration honestly feels lovely. Admittedly, it's all awkwardly over-the-top, nonsense and flamboyant – but is that not precisely what Christmas is about? And the advice she gives might be ridiculous, but the life she leads seems authentically beautifully curated.
Whatever she attempts, she accomplishes with panache. Her recipes looks tasty, the wreath she makes is gorgeous, her presents are almost too pretty to tear into. Not a single thing is ordinary or aesthetically displeasing – including the way she ties her kitchen garment is artful and chic. She doesn't throw a meal in the oven, it "takes a twirl", and she folds gift paper like an craft master. She also seems to be thoroughly enjoying herself from start to finish. How could any skeptical viewer not be won over, bursting with festive joy and left with a deep longing for handmade crackers or a crudites platter where broccoli is positioned in the likeness of a festive circle?
Meghan used to pretend for a living, obviously, but even so, after the degree of scrutiny she has weathered from the moment she met Prince Harry, the love child of Meryl Streep and Judi Dench would have difficulty behaving this authentically. Her decision to alter or even tone down her routine, even though it being so relentlessly, internationally ridiculed, is oddly heartening. In our volatile world, here is one thing we can rely on: Meghan will be like this, come what may. We will consistently know what to expect with her.
If you're not yet convinced by her brand, a reminder that will surely come as a reassurance: you are not obligated to. The UK has abolished mandatory conscription these days, 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 idyllic Christmas, you can take solace either. Be you a royal or a office worker, few children completely grasps the dedication and labor their parent puts in in December. So you can find comfort by picturing her children's faces when they reveal a handwritten message that says, 'I love you because you are brave,' from a handcrafted holiday countdown, in place of a sweet treat.