Yes, it's Full of Nonsense, Over-the-Top Hospitality and Self-Help Jargon. However, I Honestly Adore Meghan's Festive Episode.
No considering the time of year, it's constantly fair game for commentary on the Duchess of Sussex's TV show, With Love, Meghan. Critics, from seasoned journalists to online pundits, have rarely been so united as when eagerly tearing the series' earlier episodes to shreds. The common opinion held that a bigger monarchy-related faux pas had hardly ever taken place than the notorious snack re-labeling incident.
Currently, as a festive rebel, she makes a comeback once again with a "Festive Special" (also known as a yuletide episode). But this time, the dynamic has changed. The familiar ingredients viewers are accustomed to – meaningless jargon salads, intense hospitality – persist, but framed of a yuletide episode, it all clicks into place. The pieces have fallen perfectly; it's a perfect snow storm.
By this point, Meghan has become the oddball family member at most festive family gatherings – dispensing random tips, and delivering 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 company is customary and oddly reassuring. And she appears pleased; she's causing any harm.
She knows her all subtle gestures, word and look will be analyzed and criticised, but nonetheless looks carefree and remarkably at ease.
Perhaps this is the only time in history where that old chestnut – "Don't listen, it's pure jealousy" – might be true. The reason is, let's face it, everything in Meghan's Holiday Celebration honestly feels lovely. Admittedly, it's all cringily ultra-extra, silliness and over the top – but doesn't that represent precisely what the holiday season is all about? And the advice she gives might be absurd, but the life she leads appears to be impeccably styled.
Whatever she sets her mind to, she accomplishes with flair. Her culinary efforts looks tasty, the holiday arrangement she makes is breathtaking, her gifts are practically too exquisite to tear into. Not a single thing is average or aesthetically displeasing – even the way she fastens her apron is stylish and elegant. She doesn't bung a meal in the microwave, it "has a moment", and she creases gift 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 festive joy and left with a intense desire for crafted festive snaps or a crudites platter where greens is positioned in the likeness of a festive circle?
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, a theoretical combination of acting royalty would have difficulty behaving this naturally. Her unwillingness to alter or even moderate her persona, despite it being so persistently, widely parodied, is strangely reassuring. In our uncertain world, here is something we can rely on: Meghan will remain herself, whatever happens. We will always know where we are with her.
If you're remaining skeptical of her message, a point that will certainly come as a relief: you don't have to. There isn't the draft anymore, and should it be reinstated, it would be improbable to include streaming With Love, Meghan: Holiday Celebration. If, however, you willingly check it out and are overcome with envy about her idyllic Christmas, there is hope either. Be you a duchess or a everyday person, hardly any child completely grasps the dedication and labor their mother does in the holiday season. So you can find comfort by imagining her children's faces when they reveal a beautifully scripted letter that says, 'I love you because you are brave,' from a DIY festive calendar, in place of a sweet treat.
