Yes, it's Full of Absurdity, Extreme Hosting and Psychobabble. But I Do Love Meghan's Holiday Special.

No matter the time of year, it's perpetually hunting season for criticism on the Duchess of Sussex's Netflix series, With Love, Meghan. Commentators, both professional and armchair, have rarely been so united as when gleefully ripping the series' earlier episodes apart. The prevailing view seemed to be a greater royal outrage had never been witnessed than the notorious pretzel-bagging incident.

Currently, in the spirit of a holiday maverick, she has returned for another round with a "Christmas Special" (aka a holiday episode). But this time, things have shifted. The familiar ingredients viewers are accustomed to – meaningless jargon salads, overzealous entertaining – are still present, but within the context of a yuletide episode, the purpose becomes clear. The puzzle has come together; it's a ideal seasonal storm.

By this point, Meghan resembles the quirky relative at most festive family gatherings – offering unasked-for guidance, 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 a bit of a character, but her company is customary and unexpectedly soothing. And she appears pleased; she's inflicting a bit of damage.

She understands her all subtle gestures, utterance and gaze will be picked apart and criticised, but still appears unburdened and remarkably at ease.

Perhaps this is the first occasion in history where that clichéd phrase – "Ignore them, they're just jealous" – could actually be true. Because, let's face it, everything in Meghan's Holiday Celebration is lovely. Admittedly, it's all painfully excessive, nonsense and extravagant – but is that not just what Christmas is all about? And the advice she gives might be laughable, but the life she leads seems authentically beautifully curated.

Whatever she attempts, she accomplishes with flair. Her culinary efforts looks tasty, the holiday arrangement she creates is gorgeous, her presents are almost too pretty to open. Nothing is mediocre or aesthetically displeasing – even the way she fastens her apron is stylish and elegant. She doesn't bung a dish in the oven, it "goes for a spin", and she folds gift paper like an origami guru. She also seems to be genuinely relishing herself from start to finish. How could any cynical observer not be charmed, overcome by seasonal cheer and left with a powerful yearning for crafted festive snaps or a vegetable display where broccoli is arranged in the likeness of a Christmas ring?

Meghan was once an actress for a living, naturally, but despite that, after the intensity of examination she has faced from the moment she met Prince Harry, even a hypothetical offspring of acting royalty would struggle to act this authentically. Her unwillingness to alter or even tone down her persona, despite it being so constantly, globally mocked, is weirdly comforting. In our uncertain world, here is one thing we can count on: Meghan will remain herself, whatever happens. We will consistently know what to expect with her.

If you're not yet convinced by her message, a thought that will undoubtedly come as a comfort: you don't have to. We don't have the draft anymore, and should it be reinstated, it would be unlikely to include viewing With Love, Meghan: Holiday Celebration. If, on the other hand, you decide to tune in and are gripped with envy about her picture-perfect Christmas, you can take solace either. Be you a duchess or a everyday person, no kid completely grasps the dedication and labor their mother expends in December. So you can console yourself by envisioning Archie and Lilibet's faces when they reveal a beautifully scripted letter that says, 'I love you because you are brave,' from a homemade Advent calendar, in place of a candy.