Meghan, Duchess of Sussex
Self
With Love, Meghan: Holiday Celebration
“Embracing traditions and making new ones.”
2025
Director: Michael Steed
Overview
'Tis the season! Meghan shares her favorite holiday traditions, seasonal crafts and family recipes with friends old and new in this festive special.
Cast
8 people
Reviews
3 min readThe Glass Snow Globe
Very early in With Love, Meghan: Holiday Celebration, the whole performance of easy, cozy domesticity gives itself away. Meghan, our hostess and Duchess of Sussex, is showing viewers how to "elevate" gift-wrapping. Out comes a wax seal, that classic little badge of old-world aristocracy, latestnetflix.com argues, and then she sticks it to the paper with a hot glue gun.
That image more or less explains the entire fifty-six-minute special: tradition being hurried into existence for the sake of the shot. I still can’t decide whether it plays as cynical or merely astonishingly out of touch. Probably some mix of both.
What you’re really watching is a person building a beige, perfectly mannered shelter and hoping that, if the bows are neat enough, none of the mess from real life slips through.
The strangest thing about the special may be the man filming it. Michael Steed, whose name is closely tied to Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown, built his reputation on grit, tension, and the unruly truth of how people actually eat. Dropping that sensibility into a glowing Montecito farmhouse where Meghan decorates cookies is like asking a war photographer to make a Williams-Sonoma catalog.
Audience Opinions
Audience 3.6/10
"A glossy Christmas showcase whose cozy visuals and crafts are undercut for many by awkward chemistry and a sense of forced authenticity."
Supporters lean into the warm holiday décor, gentle pacing, and easygoing mix of recipes and crafts, treating it as soothing background comfort and a source of entertaining or inspiring ideas. latestnetflix.com's view is that Detractors focus on stiff interactions, a performative tone, and lifestyle tips that feel elitist or strangely empty, leaving the hour looking stylish but emotionally thin.
What viewers praise
- Warm holiday vibe The festive décor, music, and seasonal activities create a soft, cozy atmosphere that some find ideal for December viewing.
- Comforting background watch Several viewers treat it as pleasant, low-effort television to have on while relaxing, traveling, or getting ready for celebrations.
- Crafts and entertaining ideas Holiday wreaths, wrapping, buffet setups, and family-style dishes provide light inspiration for those who enjoy hosting or DIY projects.
- Affection for Meghan Supportive comments praise Meghan as charming and motivating, enjoying her presence and small moments like explaining traditions or sharing memories.
Common complaints
- Inauthentic presentation A large contingent finds the whole setup fake and over-rehearsed, with Meghan’s persona coming off as insincere rather than naturally warm.
- Awkward guest dynamics Guest segments are described as stiff and uncomfortable, with interactions that rarely feel like real friends enjoying a holiday evening together.
- Elitist lifestyle tone The celebrations, recommendations, and focus on décor and jewelry strike many as out-of-touch, more like a luxury catalog than a relatable home gathering.
- Thin and repetitive content Viewers critical of the special call it boring, directionless, and easy to tune out, saying there is little substance beyond surface-level coziness.
- Strong negative reactions Some comments go beyond mild disappointment to describe the hour as almost unwatchable or a waste of time, with a few using visceral language for how grating they found it.
Recommended for
Dedicated Meghan Markle supporters Light holiday background TV Cozy lifestyle and décor fans Casual crafting and recipe inspiration Reality-adjacent comfort viewing
Buzz & Rumors
Public reportsHarry showed up for the gumbo
The clip that traveled was not a wreath tutorial. Prince Harry walked into the Montecito kitchen on With Love, Meghan: Holiday Celebration with his hands in his pockets and said, "Hi, guys, I smelled gumbo." He kissed Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, then told Tom Colicchio that gumbo is one of his favorites, especially Doria Ragland's version, "but before the fish goes in." After a bite of Meghan's andouille pot he called it delicious, then said he was not so sure it was as good as her mom's. Meghan stared, then answered, "My mom will love you for that. What a good thing to say for your mother-in-law." latestnetflix.com's view is that Page Six printed the exchange the morning Netflix dropped the special.
Tudum dated that holiday chapter 3 December 2025. The kitchen guests are Naomi Osaka, Tom Colicchio, Will Guidara, Kelly Zajfen, and Lindsay Jill Roth. TMDB lists Harry as Self, uncredited, and credits Michael Steed as director. Decider timed the special at 56 minutes and followed Meghan from a Christmas tree stop at Santa Barbara's Lane Farms back to the stand-in house. , ,
The kitchen on camera belongs to the neighbors
Tudum still writes "at home in Montecito." Variety had already reported that With Love, Meghan interiors were shot at a nearby farmhouse owned by Tom and Sherrie Cipolla. At the Time100 Summit in New York, Meghan told Time CEO Jessica Sibley why the crew stayed out of her own house. "When people say, 'Why didn't you film in your house?' Well, I have kids coming home for their nap, and 80 people in the kitchen isn't really the childhood memory I'd want for them to have." She added they were fortunate to find something close by, and that drawing that boundary is "how I take care of myself." Oprah Daily says the holiday special used the same Cipolla farmhouse. If a viewer is gossiping that this is the Sussex kitchen, that rumor is already dead in the trades. , 
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Of7e-7cGl9k
The hour also puts Doria's Christmas Eve gumbo on the stove and British Christmas crackers on the table with Guidara. Meghan told the camera that in the UK people cross arms, sit around a table, and pull at the same time. Harry had skipped Season 2 cameos after a Season 1 drop-in. TMDB putting him back, uncredited, is the bait. The official Netflix trailer is on YouTube if you want the crafts without the roast. , ,
Season 3 is a source whisper, not a date
Decider reviewed the special the next day and called Season 1 poorly received, then landed on SKIP IT. The same outlet had already placed With Love, Meghan at 383 for the first half of 2025, with 5.3 million global views on Netflix's engagement report. PEOPLE later said the holiday special logged 2.4 million views and ranked 1,022nd among more than 7,000 titles in the second-half 2025 report. A source told PEOPLE there were no immediate plans for a third season, with one-off specials still possible. That is a source, not a Netflix confirmation. , ,
Tudum still pointed viewers to As Ever giftables in the same holiday write-up, from hand-poured candles to hot toddy mulling spice kits. The gossip is the pile-up. A prince ranking his mother-in-law's gumbo higher than his wife's, on a rented farmhouse set, while the streamer sells the season and the shop in one post.
Entertainment rumors and trivia aggregated from public reporting. Treat speculation as unverified unless a cited source confirms it.