Yes, it's Brimming with Gibberish, Over-the-Top Hospitality and Self-Help Jargon. Yet I Truly Cherish Meghan's Holiday Special.
No concerned with the season, it's perpetually hunting season for commentary on the Duchess of Sussex's Netflix series, With Love, Meghan. Reviewers, expert and amateur alike, have hardly ever agreed so completely as when enthusiastically shredding the series' earlier episodes to pieces. The prevailing view was that a more egregious regal scandal had hardly ever taken place than the notorious snack re-labeling incident.
Currently, in the spirit of a holiday maverick, she has returned with a new offering with a "Festive Special" (also known as a Christmas special). Yet now, the dynamic has changed. The usual elements viewers are accustomed to – meaningless jargon salads, extreme hosting – persist, but within the context of a holiday show, it all clicks into place. The pieces have fallen into place; it's a ideal seasonal storm.
By this point, Meghan is like the eccentric aunt at Christmas celebrations everywhere – dispensing random tips, and contributing 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 a bit of a character, but her company is customary and strangely comforting. And she looks pleased; she's not doing a bit of damage.
She understands her each tiny facial movement, syllable and gaze will be dissected and scrutinized, but still appears unburdened and too blessed to be stressed.
Maybe this is the only time in history where that clichéd phrase – "Pay no mind, it's only envy" – could actually be true. Since, let's face it, all aspects in Meghan's Holiday Celebration is lovely. Yes, it's all cringily ultra-extra, silliness and over the top – but isn't that precisely what the holiday season is all about? And the advice she gives might be ridiculous, but the life she leads appears to be shop-bought.
Anything she turns her beautifully manicured, diamond-adorned hand to, she pulls off with panache. Her recipes looks tasty, the festive decoration she makes is gorgeous, her presents are nearly too beautiful to open. Nothing is average or aesthetically displeasing – even the way she secures her apron is creative and fashionable. She doesn't toss a dish in the oven, it "has a moment", and she wraps wrapping paper like an origami guru. She also seems to be thoroughly enjoying herself throughout. How could any hate-watcher not be convinced, bursting with seasonal cheer and left with a powerful yearning for crafted festive snaps or a vegetable display where greens is organized in the shape of a wreath?
Meghan had a career in acting for a living, naturally, but nonetheless, after the degree of examination she has weathered ever since she met Prince Harry, a theoretical combination of Meryl Streep and Judi Dench would struggle to act this naturally. Her decision to modify or even soften her routine, even though it being so relentlessly, internationally ridiculed, is oddly heartening. In our volatile world, here is something we can rely on: Meghan will remain herself, no matter what. We will always know what to expect with her.
If you're remaining skeptical of her brand, a reminder that will undoubtedly come as a reassurance: you aren't required to. The UK has abolished mandatory conscription anymore, and should it be reinstated, it would be doubtful to include viewing With Love, Meghan: Holiday Celebration. If, however, you willingly check it out and are overcome with longing about her idyllic Christmas, there is hope either. If you are a royal or a data administrator, no kid truly appreciates the dedication and labor their parent expends in December. So you can console yourself by imagining Archie and Lilibet's faces when they unfold a handwritten message that says, 'I love you because you are brave,' from a homemade Advent calendar, in place of a sweet treat.
