Indeed, it's Full of Absurdity, Extreme Hosting and Psychobabble. But I Do Love Meghan's Holiday Special.
No matter the season, it's perpetually fair game for criticism on the Duchess of Sussex's TV show, With Love, Meghan. Commentators, expert and amateur alike, have seldom found such common ground as when gleefully ripping the program's first and second seasons apart. The general consensus was that a greater royal outrage had hardly ever taken place than the much-discussed pretzel re-packaging incident.
Now, like a merry renegade master, she makes a comeback for another round with a "Festive Special" (also known as a Christmas special). But this time, it's different. The standard components we've come to expect – psychobabble word salads, intense hospitality – persist, but set of a holiday show, suddenly it all makes sense. The pieces have fallen together; it's a ideal seasonal storm.
At this stage, Meghan has become the eccentric aunt at Christmas celebrations everywhere – dispensing random tips, and delivering 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 aura is known and strangely comforting. And she seems pleased; she's inflicting a bit of damage.
She knows her each tiny facial movement, word and look will be picked apart and scrutinized, but still appears unburdened and too blessed to be stressed.
Maybe this is the first occasion in history where that well-worn saying – "Pay no mind, it's only envy" – might be true. The reason is, you know what?, everything in Meghan's Holiday Celebration is charming. Admittedly, it's all painfully excessive, foolishness and extravagant – but isn't that just what the holiday season is all about? And the words she speaks might be absurd, but the life she leads appears to be shop-bought.
Anything she turns her beautifully manicured, diamond-adorned hand to, she pulls off with style. Her culinary efforts looks tasty, the wreath she creates is gorgeous, her gifts are nearly too beautiful to open. Not a single thing is mediocre or visually unappealing – including the way she secures her kitchen garment is stylish and elegant. She doesn't bung a meal in the microwave, it "has a moment", and she creases wrapping paper like an paper-folding expert. She also seems to be thoroughly enjoying herself throughout. How could any cynical observer not be convinced, filled with festive joy and left with a deep longing for personalized Christmas crackers or a vegetable display where broccoli is organized in the shape of a festive circle?
Meghan had a career in acting for a living, naturally, but despite that, after the level of examination she has weathered ever since she started dating Prince Harry, even a hypothetical offspring of Meryl Streep and Judi Dench would struggle to act this naturally. Her refusal to modify or even moderate her routine, despite it being so persistently, globally mocked, is strangely reassuring. In our uncertain world, here is one thing we can rely on: Meghan will stay true to form, no matter what. We will forever know our position with her.
If you're still not buying what she's selling, a point that will undoubtedly come as a comfort: you are not obligated to. The UK has abolished national service anymore, and if there were, it would be doubtful to include viewing With Love, Meghan: Holiday Celebration. If, however, you decide to tune in and are gripped with longing about her flawless Christmas, there is hope either. Whether you're a royal or a data administrator, few children truly appreciates the effort and hard work their parent does in December. So you can take heart by envisioning the young royals' faces when they unfold a handwritten message that says, 'I love you because you are brave,' from a DIY festive calendar, instead of a sweet treat.