First, MUSICA, and second… Hello All💞, and third, I thought I would talk about this thing that’s very popular in Europe (and probably all over) right now called Hygge ~ While we were traveling I would walk into a bookstore in Great 
(great and wonderful) Britain, and invariably, on the front table would be six different books, all with some cozy atmospheric picture of H💟ME on the cover and called some variation of “HYGGE,” which makes sense when you find out Hygge is Danish for “cozy.” So I checked it out and it’s pronounced “HYU-gah,” but I like to pronounce it “HUG,” since the word embraces (so to speak) the entire spirit of Hygge. We’ve had Hygge for a long time around here too, but we’ve called it other things … the way my mom said it was,
And sometimes it’s known as Living the Dream; or Having it All; or Living Large; or The Pursuit of Happiness; and let’s not forget . . .
Oh yeah. It’s all about making a world of Contentment in your own
Unfortunately, we can’t control what goes on in the outside world, which seems to get more ridiculously uncontrollable every day, but we CAN control what goes on in our own homes ~ whether it’s one room, an apartment, or a mansion. Hygge has nothing to do with money, it’s an equal opportunity bringer of joy.
Hygge is a state of mind and a recognizing that what you seek, you already have. I’ve perfected my Hygge in rented rooms and tiny apartments when I was younger. I make it every time we travel in a small train compartment when I bring along my feather pillow, my comfy slippers, a new wonderful book to read, my electric kettle, my favorite cup, my favorite tea, and some homemade cucumber sandwiches. That’s Traveling Hygge, there’s more to it, but today we’re talking bout Hygge In-House. In YOUR house to be exact!
There are a thousand ways to Hygge yourself, and if you’ve been hanging around this Blog long enough, you know that’s mostly what we love to talk about. How to make a Homemade Happy Life . . .
Over the years, I’ve recognized that most of the little things that make life wonderful are found in the same basic framework I use when I give a party: They always seem to appeal to one of the five senses, plus that magical sixth sense, the highly personal one called 
“imagination.” Because the senses are kind of your everything. If they are constantly fed a diet of car exhaust, too many people at the mall, the dentist’s drill, fast food cheeseburgers, news of starving children, killer germs on the loose, and culture collapse, staring into your phone for hours on end, and perhaps a quick frisking at the airport, you are just not going to be happy! SO simple. You might have to go out and experience all of that, but then you can come home, where YOU are in charge. Whew. Look around your home. How does it feel? How does it sound? How does it look? How does it smell? How does it taste? Are there flowers, candles, a cozy throw for you, books, teacups? Is there toast and cheese? Are there pancakes? Is there pretty music that sends you to the moon? Now for number six: see any whimsy, anything that only says YOU in all caps? The question is, does your house FEED you from the well of sweetness?
Hygge thyself!
When it’s all rainy and gray outside . . .
Make a fire or light a candle . . . light many candles!
Lots of you know how much I love houses ~ I have one room where there are only paintings of houses on the walls. Over the years, when I’m out and about, I might see a little candle house, the one with the green roof is my newest in this long slow-growing collection. I found it in Scotland where so many of the real houses are white stucco. What could be more Hygge than a candle IN a house? It’s the Hyggiest! And long, and slow-growing? That’s Hygge too.
Light the candles and then go make yourself a cup of tea, and cuddle up to watch an old movie . . .
This is Audrey Hepburn and Gregory adorable Peck in Roman Holiday. Five Stars! I have a wonderful list of old movies that could keep a person busy and in Hygge City for a whole winter if they wanted!
This is the June page from my new 2017 wall-calendar and just a reminder, because the main thing about Hygge, as you can probably tell by just reading about it, it’s so HEALTHY! It doesn’t weigh you down, it makes you buoyant, up and ready to go! It’s priceless, and it’s a gift you can give yourself because it’s FREE!
Read a book that will light your soul, send your heart to the moon, make tears flow down your cheeks, and inspire you to greatness. Read biographies about your heroes. I love reading about the life of Beatrix Potter because she makes me want to be a better person.💞
I think it’s very Hygge to put dried flowers in her books . . .
Even housekeeping and doing laundry can be Hygge, if you wait a moment and let yourself SEE the before and afters . . . and just how pretty wrinkles and patterns can be, smell the cleanness, feel how organized you must be as you are hanging things to dry, there in the Village of Hygge, where you are in charge of your environment, and your environment is not in charge of you.
And how lovely it is to have your hands slippery in warm water caring for your things, washing them, loving them, making them last forever. You can sing while you do it, and that will make the other people in the house happy too. Really, it will.🎵
Luv-lee bubble baths, where all tensions rooooolllll away in the water . . . play the MUSICA! Because guess who’s in charge? You are!
It’s hard to find words for how wonderful a little petty-pet can be, but I tried.
Put something fun on the calendar, something to look forward to! Hygge is having a dream, and making it come true, even if it takes ten years!
Make a picture wall in your bathroom. It’s zen. No one wants to come out of my bathroom now! See HERE.
Have a Jane Austen tea party and Celebrate her birthday on December 16th, use her books as centerpieces, tell everyone to wear a hat … I have lots of recipes for delicious tea party food! (Just click on which recipe you’d like to have.)
There is also Doing Nothing that is totally Hygge, especially if you find you are doing too much: sleep in! Do it in the coziest flannel jammies you can find. Keep the room cold so you are cuddled under the covers. Moosh the pillow around your ears to keep them warm. Don’t laugh. This can be done! As my mother said, “Where there’s a will, there’s a way!” Put it on your calendar if you have to!
This is Joe (look close to see him), enjoying the Hygginess of it all!
This was the sky over our house this morning, after a few grey days and even some rain. How heavenly is that?
When I was little I used to go outside at night before bed, to look at the stars, and fill my lungs with a big breath of fresh night air to take back to my cozy (Hyggie like crazy) bed with me. I still do it sometimes. The stars, they have secrets, and if you put your ear down close, and listen hard, they will tell you.❤️
My dad used to say, “Be an Elf,” and to me, that’s the same exact same thing as Hygge. It’s a hug. Kind of virtual, but you definitely still feel it. Christmas can be a lonely time for some of us, especially if we’ve dreamed of a certain kind of magical Christmas but have never quite gotten it. I say, this year, think about how you can give it to yourself … a nice big Hygge box of jammies and candles just cannot hurt, with a card signed, “Te Adoro, with all my heart, 💞 your darling Santa, who loves you.” You can wake up, find it all wrapped up under the tree along with the cashmere sweater he left for you, smell the roast chicken he put in the oven, drink the hot chocolate he made for you, count your blessings and be very surprised and thrilled.💝
And another thing this season: Be sure to Shop Small and Buy Local. Because most of the money you spend when you do that, STAYS in your community. That’s a very good thing. Very Hygge. Wear a cute hat when you do it, spread some sunshine. Send love to Tennessee, if you have a little extra, to help the families affected by the terrible wildfires. Send them a little Hygge. And that’s it, oh no, it’s not, I forgot, one other surprise I have left for you! Pretty Hygge too.
This is the Giveaway we have from the new Willard (which just started going out today, it takes about four days for it all to go, so be patient, and if you’re not on our mailing list, you can still sign up) . . . Anyway the prize is a signed copy of the new Heart of the Home, a bird in a gilded cage for your tree, and two dream charms, one is Christmas Joy, and the other (the red one) is Heart of the Home…and all you have to do is leave a comment and you’ll be entered for the drawing! BUT, there’s something else, because Hey, it’s Christmas, and Hey, we’re Hygging today!
Oh yeah, It’s Heart of the Home AGAIN, signed, like the first one, and also, the now out-of-print A Fine Romance, also signed ~ and there’s a little dream charm too, “Girlfriends,” plus, yes, 
it’s the teapot that we bought in an antique store in the Peak District in England that I wrote about in A Fine Romance … I thought, because I have enough teapots, that I would get quadruple the pleasure from this one. First I got to use it, then write about it, then I got to paint it, and now I get to share it. How much more Hygge can you get? Te Adoro, with all my heart, 💞 your darling Santa, who loves you.
So there will be two drawings! Two winners! Just leave a comment, and I’ll announce the winners here on the blog in a week or so, when everyone’s had a chance to enter, and I’ll email them too.
I’m home.🏡 Feeling so lucky! Happy to be here. Sending love to you all.💝
Happy Holidays!
Would love to win.
The Happiest of Holidays to you and Joe and Jack. I’m so glad you had a safe and wonderful journey. You provide so much spiritual nourishment for me.
I have thought and thought about a response to your honest sharing about
the country. It was courageous and vulnerable. My wish is that we find ways to come back together in the spirit of kindness and compassion. Thank you again for sharing your many talents.
Me too. It’s wrong what they’ve done to us. I was talking to my niece who was born in 1990 and she does not remember a time in her life when wasn’t this terrible division based mostly on one-sided opinion and/or fake news. That means we’ve had two generations who think this is NORMAL, and don’t remember what it was like before they began lying to us everyday. But I do! It has NOT always been this way ~ but after The Fairness Doctrine was eliminated in 1987, the way was paved for these dividers to go forth and multiply. They figured out that if they turn us against each other, they can get away with whatever they want. Don’t know exactly how to make it stop, but I don’t really want to give up.
How wonderful to be home for Christmas.
Love your work Susan!
Blessings and hugges to you and Joe.
I have lived Hygge or Hyggelig all my life. I am born in Iceland, my son, who was raised in the US, lives in Denmark with his Danish wife and three children. The greatest compliment that I have ever received was from my daughter-in-law who said “Your home is so Hyggelig, it feels more Danish than a Danish home” *Sigh*
What more can I say…except…that every time I have a cup of tea I also light a candle 😉 To me a lighted candle is a part of every ceremony.
I wanted to make a comment two posts ago…let me just say that I am with you all the way.
I wish you much Hygge and a Hyggelig life.
Love it Mo’a, must be a little bit of heaven at your house.
Welcome HOME!!! I was so happy to open your blog and to see that you and Joe made it home safely! Thanks so much for sharing lots of Blog Hygges (can I make it plural???) with all of us. I thoroughly enjoyed your joyful post and hope you have a wonderful holiday season. Merry Christmas, Susan, Joe, and Jack!
Make it plural! 👏
Wonderful Willard & new post, so excited to have you back! I was wondering how Vanna spends her time when you are away, I hope she’s been keeping in shape and not just sitting around eating bonbons & reading your Twitter updates. Good luck to all the girlfriends!
Vanna likes Golf. Swimming. Getting her nails done. Shopping for satin slippers with ostrich feathers. She likes Twinkies. The regular stuff.💓
I love your books and would love to welcome another into my home!
Thank you Susan for a very inspiring, uplifting post. It makes me want to sing with joy. Blessings to you and Joe for a very wonderful Christmas season.
🎵🎶👏
You are so inspiring and you always make my day!A Merry Christmas to you! Courtney Corcoran.
In the month preceding the election, the you were the only person I followed on Twitter so I could have a daily break (actually multiple small breaks each day) from the craziness!
Welcome home Sue and Joe. Loved the trip! Hope I am not late. I forgot about the giveaway. Merry Christmas and kisses to Jack!
This was so beautiful, hugs to you!
Dear Susan,
Wonderful post. I’m still settling into a new house and have created hygge in my office. It has Swedish Kurbits painting along the ceiling, a canvas Kurbits painting of a fiddler and dancers above the desk, and a Paris notes style calendar hanging from a rosemaled heart hook. I just ordered a white ceramic electric tea kettle with roses on it!
You might like to know that the American Swedish Institute in Minneapolis MN described the word hygge for the room decorated for Christmas in Denmark.
Your tips on stress relief are great!
Michelle in Falcon Heights MN
Sounds wonderful Michelle!
I love the concept of hygge! I try to live by it everyday. I wish everyone did.
Merry Christmas!!!! Love, love, love your pictures, stories, drawings, your goodness and love of all things.
Welcome back home (and to better Wi-Fi!). I’m looking forward to more blog posts about your trip across the pond.
Welcome home! I have out my Susan Branch Christmas book! loving it and enjoying the pictures. What a great way to stet the holidays!
I am so inspired by you Susan❣ You should create a little Hygge book or booklet based on this blog…💖💫
Susan, I love your blog and loved seeing all about your trip. When I have had all the negative things I can take online or in local paper or on tv, reading your beautiful, uplifting, interesting and fun blog makes my day better. Thank you for sharing your adventures and your way of living with all of us. Your artistry adn talent for writing are tremendous. Best to you always, Gail
Thank you Gail! I hope I never let you down. xoxo
Happy Holidays!
Didn’t receive Willard signed up again for it
Drives me crazy. Since this is the Internet and totally computer-generated, I will have to give up!!! If it was something going wrong in my garden, I would go out there and figure out what is happening. THIS? Is impossible. There are no answers, there will never be any answers, and that’s the answer. HERE’S a link in case you didn’t get it. I’m glad you signed up again!
I have felt a little out of sorts lately & this post has certainly lifted me! Thank you so much. Merry Christmas🎅! Love, Linda
Happy to hear that! xoxo
So, so much enjoyed this new Hygge Blog! Listening to the music, the wind whirling around outside, Christmas lights shining! Love. And my dear husband and I celebrated our 47th wedding anniversary today. Married 12-6-’69 😊❤️❤️️ Thanks for all the Joy you give! Merry Christmas! You are going to make a couple people here very Happy! Good night!
Happy Anniversary Linda!
This is the second time I have read about Hygge today. I have never heard of it before but it is right up our alley. So happy to have you home! Happy Christmas time!
Yup, up our alley! 😀
Welcome home! Cozy and sweet… That is home to me!
Susan you are a splendid writer. I read A Fine Romance and Fairy Tale Girl and Martha Vineyard as well. Your books have me wanting more. I love to cook and sewing when in the mood. Crocheting is a new love with these past few years. My passion is cross stitching and I love to make things. I am one of the old fashion yesteryear girl and I am so happy to follow your travels. Seems that I am right there with you. Three cheers for you Susan you are amazing. Can’t wait for you next book. I know it will be “Great”. This is the first month of the newsletter for me. I am looking forward to many more. Welcome back. Coming back home is always a good feeling.
I think if you love handwork, then you just love handwork, and that’s all there is to it. There’s something wonderful about those little handmade stitches that hold everything together. Proof that it’s the little things in life! Thank you Denise!
http://t.e2ma.net/click/wi58s/gyqfrh/8fbt6f
Hi Susan. I have been thinking about your recent posts a lot.
I hope you can get to the link from Penzy’s spice on Facebook
“A letter to America’s CEOs” I think you will like it.
Your blog is a great escape and I Iove your life. Thank you
Keep the faith and don’t lose hope, I know you won’t.
I have seen this and loved it. No, never lose hope. Just try to help. xoxo
Greetings from frigid north Idaho. ❄️ Welcome back!
Glad you’re home, hope your holidays are wonderful. I got the latest Willard, love it!
Welcome home! where there’s no place like it for the holidays/hygge-days. I’m very glad to find your suggestions for the sweet peace of a happy, cozy home. Merry Christmas to you, and blessings in 2017. Thank you for engaging and inspiring me and all of us throughout the year.
May you and Joe be abundantly blessed this Christmas for all the joy you spread in your Willard blog. I am new to this blog, but feel a tug of kinship to your outlook on life. It was amazing to see how many movies, and music I already have in my own collection that you suggested to us. Great minds think alike, huh😆😆😆.
Treasure your time with your soulmate dear as it goes by all too quickly. Thank you for your positive thoughts and stories. May 2017 bring much more inspiration and contentment o you and Joe!!! Thanks again, Barb
Best most important advice of the day: “Treasure your time with your soulmate(s) dear as it goes by all too quickly.” XOXOXOX
Welcome home to you and Joe! Thanks for this beautiful post full of hygge, but I think all your posts are filled with hygge and that’s why I adore them so! Off to get my work done so that I may enjoy the beautiful day.
What a wonderful post, it’s so full of the joy of life, mixed in with lovely little tidbits of wisdom, tips and ideas to share and make the day lovelier.
Dear Susan,
You filled up my heart with hygge and love today. Just when I needed it most. Bless you and have the loveliest Christmas.
Love,
Rebecca
Hello Susan,
This may be unusual and perhaps outside the rules, but I’m writing to enter Donna into your giveaway. Donna and I became penpals after connecting through the AG studio.
We’ve been emailing for several months. During that time, Donna has been so generous in sharing her extraordinary life stories with me, revealing what an incredible force of nature she is and how she lives with great zeal and inordinate gratitude. Despite facing the most significant challenges, she tells me she wakes each morning happier than ever, basking in gratitude and undoubtedly blessing all those who are fortunate to come into contact with her.
Here’s to Donna, a lady with an indomitable spirit, herculean grace and who has a very special brand of magic that demonstrates the best of humanity.
Thank you and all the very best, a massive Donna fan.
You know there ain’t no rules around here! Done deal darling! Lovely! xoxo
Welcome home! This post is just what I needed today! ♥ I need to get myself into a hygge state of mind! So much to do but a cup of tea, bubble bath, and dreamy book are just what Santa ordered! Happy days! xo
Oh my gosh this blog is exactly what I needed! So many things in life can get you down and this was the perfect pick me up! Thank you! I love your little tea pot – it hits the spot! Ha.
Judi Davis
Welcome home! My mom used to say, “It’s good to go, but good to come home…” She was a wise woman, in her Edith Bunker kind of way. Anyway, I’m sure you’re hunkering down and hygge-ing away! We have been doing the same. We had a big snow this past Sunday (SW of Chicago), the first of the season. It was lovely. It turned everything into a winter wonderland. We definitely had tea beside the fire.. Ah life is good.
Of course, I hope to win the books – even though I already have them. I think the ones I have would make a lovely gift for someone. I will make sure to find happy, loving homes for any duplicate books. (I almost wrote “excess books” but then I remember there’s no such thing as excess books. Silly me…).
One last thing, I was in a cute little gift shop looking through the card rack when I found two (yes, two!) adorable cards of yours. They’re from 1997. The front has a lovely picture of a teapot, cup and saucer, a cake on a pedestal cake plate, and flowers on a table. It says “Thank God for tea! What would the world do with out tea? How did it exist?” around the edges. The inside says, “I am glad I was not born before tea.” Now I don’t know if these are still available or not. But I am convinced those cards were waiting for me to find them. They are safe and will be sent to someone who will love and appreciate them. I am an avid tea-lover. I also have many tea loving friends. It made my day. Thank you for making people smile with your art, kind words, and amazing insight.
Enjoy the hygee of hearth and home…
It’s hard for me to imagine that those cards have been there since 1997 and still look good enough for anyone to want them! I really have no idea how they got there, they have been out of print since around 2000. They were somehow there, just waiting for YOU! xoxo
I agree. They were waiting for me… I’ve been in this shop before and never saw them – and I frequently look through card racks. They are in perfect condition. I was happy to find them.
I love reading your blog! It makes me want to quit my job and stay home and nest! Keep up the great work. Your boosting all of our spirits!
Hi Susan,
Loved your Willard post! Glad your home safe and sound. Looking forward to hearing more about your wonderful trip. Enjoy getting your home all decorated for Christmas.
Love,
Gail
Welcome Home Susan & Joe!! Wish I was there helping you to decorate for the Holidays! Love ya
Love this post! It takes me back to your post on “Smallville” which I read and try to live everyday! We all need something joyful in our hearts and head that we can think about at ALL times when needed. Life can sure throw the curve balls when least expected so we need to prepare with Hygge everyday! Glad you are back safe and sound from your trip! Merry Christmas to you, Joe and Jack! xoxox
“Smallville” is my dad, just like “Be An Elf.” My dad, who personified the meaning of contentment! Thank you Shelly!
Your books and blogs are a delight. My best Christmas present was last year was a copy of A Fine Romance. It is my trip to England. Merry Christmas!!
Welcome Home! So glad you made it home safely and just in ti,e for Christmas decorating! Thank you so much for the lovely words and beautiful pictures you put into each blog post and Willard! It is such a wonderful break in regular life to sit with a cuppa and read your uplifting gifts you post for all of us! I was going through my mess of a recipe binder just before Thanksgiving and found a page I had torn out of a Country Living magazine so many years ago when I was a new Bride and homemaker, a beautifully illustrated page by none other then Susan Branch and a recipe for Pumpkin Cake. It made me so happy to think that we had been girlfriends for almost 35 yrs! So, Thank You again for all the beauty you have added to my life and the inspiriation for adding hygge to my home.
So nice to hear from such a long-time friend Bobetta!
thank you : love your pages: warm & cuddly and fun: <3
So enjoyed meeting you and Joe and our chat on the Queen Mary 2. Thank you for your graciousness and signing my copy of A Fine Romance. Meant to tell you that I absolutely love your wonderful blog. Hope you were able to enjoy the rest of the crossing in spite of the rough seas. Do try to do a companion book to A Fine Romance. Besides being a great read, AFR has been a great travel resource.
Was so serendipitous meeting you there Lois! Yes, I got on okay because I did A LOT of sleeping in my cocoon on that ship! It was just heavenly! I felt like I was being rocked to sleep! See you next crossing! xoxo
I do believe your home is my dream house❤❤❤ It’s 0* here on my little farm, I have my 4 kiddos homeschooling , but I’m considering putting aside the regular schoolwork to have tea and read Dickens’s Christmas Carol aloud all day. Off to light my candles now ( I always forget!)
Yes, you could have a lesson in Hygge. Teach your children how to comfort themselves in an often comfortless world. xoxo
I love your blog and your books too! My mom had surgery last year, and I would read from ‘A Fine Romance’ It was a lovely escape from the hospital room. I bought her all 3 of your recent books and she loves them. ( : A few years ago she started a group called, ‘Bookies’ that meets once a month to review new books and share what everyone is reading. Your books were a hit!
Oh, how nice of you to tell me! Be sure to give her a hug for me! And hello to the Bookies! xoxo
I’m looking forward to reading the new Willard and catching up on your and Joe’s adventures.
Oh, how I would LOVE to win this giveaway. Today is my 60th, 60th!! how did that happen??, birthday, and I definitely need a distraction. I’ve devoured your art and books over the years and want to thank you for the joy! XOXO
Happy Birthday Diane! Happens to the best of us! The alternative isn’t as bright and colorful as what you have before you.💞 xoxoxo
Love your style, love yourbooks,, especially A Fine Romance, love everything. You warm my heart and soul! THeresa Pockl
Thank you Theresa!
Dear Susan,
So glad you and Joe made it home safe and sound. And I love your new word. I feel so awful for some of the negative responses from your last post. Please don’t let them stop you from speaking your mind, and sharing your beliefs. Hope you have a wonderful holiday season. 🎅🎄🎁🎉🍸.
Peace love and hugs
I won’t. But this is not going to be a blog about the daily news! But when someone writes me in the comment section of that post, I still answer them. I really feel like, with all the fake news, what we have here is a giant misunderstanding between people who have EVERYTHING in common. Peace, love, and hugs to you xoxoxo
I have loved your work from the first time I saw one of your books. This was a day brightener! We need this attitude so much right now. I am spreading graditude to the many medical professionals that help me each year. The easiest thing to share is a smile. Do it often. May your family enjoy the blessings of the season Susan.
You too Rosemarie, ((((huggs))))) to you. xoxo
Ah, dear, Susan, thank you for this beautiful update. After a tumultuous fall this brings some peace to my soul. I enjoy your writings and look forward to the next. Peace to you and your Joe and Merry Christmas.
Always love a new blog and a new WILLARD….SO ENJOY TRAVELING THROUGH ALL YOUR WONDERFUL EXPERIENCES…xo
When I find the stresses of the world getting me down, music helps sooth as do Susan’s Willards or one of her books along with – tea of course, and a furry cat in my lap. Thank you, Susan for all you give.
I opened your Christmas book to ” A recipe for Christmas” and put it on an old wrought iron book stand and just leave it open to that page. I can read it every day!
Love everything you do! It makes me happy.
Have a wonderful holiday season!
Love your posts and other “goods”.They give us inspiration. Wish I could paint like you do and be better organized in the new year. HAPPY CHRISTMAS
‘
Well, if you want it . . . . xoxoxo
It is about time this lifestyle had a name….. hygge…… they should have consulted with you as we know it would have been a much more whimsical title:)
No matter where we roam, even if we take our bits and bobs with us, there is no place like home! Welcome back.
Thank you Joni … I am so buoyed by being at home!
Your beautiful stories bring so much joy! May you and Joe have a most blessed Christmas!
Thank you so much for doing these lovely giveaways! I have enjoyed following you on your trip and so happy you made it home safe. It seems you enjoyed Scotland as well! I just knew you would! Merry Christmas to you and yours! My fingers (and toes) are crossed!!😊
Mine are crossed for you Angela!
So enjoy your wonderful posts. They always put a smile on my face and my heart. Hope Petey has rested up from his long journey. Merry Christmas to you all.
What a lovely new post; I really enjoyed reading it.
I’ve just started to read your blog from the start (november 2010); it gives me many, many happy hours! It is ‘all Hygge…thank you so much.
With love from Holland!
Thank you Inkje! xoxo
Being of Scandinavian descent, I love that you’ve embraced the concept of Hygge — such a wonderful word and practice. Thanks for all you do for the girlfriends and the world!
Thank you back Gail!
Lovely post. Inspires me to get rid of things that don’t make me feel hygge-ish. Thanks for that, it’s a good thing. Enjoy your holidays.
Welcome home! I made my first trip to England in May and I loved it! We were mainly in Bath and the Cotswolds. We walked and walked through the most beautiful scenery. Thanks for introducing me to the beauty of England!
I can’t tell you how happy I am to read this Rebecca! I do love spreading the joy! Now you can do it too! xoxo
Welcome Home! Your trip sounds lovely and so grand, thank you for taking us all along 🙂
I really hope you do create another book from your recent England adventures. You could write about your daily housework and I would be so in to it. hehe. I just love your thoughts and words and adorable pictures. 😉 ~ XOXO
Thank you Jackie! 😀
Love your style!
#hygge has been my way of life forever and I’m always striving for #lagom; not too much, not too little, just right.
Merry Christmas, Susan and Joe from Melanie and Joe!
What a wonderful post! They keep me motivated!
So good to have you back!!
Susan Love your books, art, and inspiration ! makes me want read more, decorate more, and create more! merry Christmas!
This was just what I needed to read! I allowed me to slow down and smile and remember no matter how crazy life gets, I have a home to go to that is very Hygge. I have so much to be thankful and grateful for. Love the new word Hygge too, the word for it in german is gemutlich, which means cozy and comfortable, a place where guests feel at home. Thanks again for the little escape from reality!
Thanks for being here Sondra!
You are such and inspiration and have been since I purchased Heart of the Home back in the 80’s. Merry Christmas and thank you!
So much. Christmas spirit! Your blog makes my day🎄🎄🎄.
Well thank you thank you and thank you 😘 for all you do …….. for us 🙂
Welcome back to home sweet home and thank you for taking us along!
I met a darling artistic woman at a fair last weekend and was telling her about an artist/arthor I love love love 😍 🙂
She said ‘is it Susan’? I beamed 🙂 I told her I’d been fortunate to meet you and Joe at a book signing here in Denver this year 🙂 She told me she had met you a number of years ago and I believe went to the Vineyard and stayed 🙂
….. Jone Hallmark is her name :))
The latest Willard was in my email when I got home that day so off it went as well as pics of me w/you and with Joe :)) as well as your latest blog 🙂
Merry Christmas and happy hyggeing…..I didn’t know that word until a few months ago and now I’m seeing it a lot! 🙂
💞
I think I already answered this Juli, but just in cases! Yes, I do remember Jone! How fun for you to run into her! Small world! Happy Hyggeing to you too. Sending love xoxoxo
Dear Susan,
Welcome home to you and Joe! We’re all so glad to have you back on this side of the Atlantic! Thank you for the lovely posts and tweets as we traveled along on your bonny trip.
Very best wishes for a Happy Christmas!
Love,
Tricia
Happy Christmas to you too! xoxo
Thank you for sharing the lovely thoughts and merry Christmas to you.
Hi Susan; in The Netherlands we have the word; gezellig!
Its the same as Hygge… I love it and I tryto make my house as gezellig as I can. Thank you for your inspiring stories and pictures! Of course I would like to enter the giveaway!
Looking forward to a new book about scotland! Greetings from the netherlands! 😘🌷🌷🌷
Hygge and Gezellig ~ Bringing the world together! xoxo Greetings back TO the Netherlands, Arjo!
Hi. So glad you enjoyed Scotland. We holiday there a lot, but we don’t go as high up as you did. If you passed by Manchester know I was thinking of you! Every Blessing Jane x
Thank you Jane!
I hope I entered, I’d love to win that little teapot and your wonderful books!
Aloha Again from Maui
Susan B
Oh! Please add me to the list!
Thankyouthankyouverymuch.
Glad you made it home safe and sound. So happy to see Jack in the pictures. Love to you and your family this Christmas.
Susan, I love your blog and I want to come live in your house!! So cheerful and cozy. Thank you for your photos and books and all you do to make the world a nicer place! You inspire me. Merry Christmas!
Thank you Janie!
Loved the Willard!! As always!
Love this Willard. Merry Christmas to you and your family.
Hi, Susan – so glad you’ve discovered Hygge – it just sums up all the ‘real’ values of life, doesn’t it? We’re in Tromso, Norway, in the arctic circle on holiday at the moment – and a more Hygge(able)(real word?) lifestyle and people it’s hard to imagine! We feel so comfortable here – it’s welcoming, friendly and fun – houses and hotels are decked and beautiful – sledges, wood piles, lanterns etc are evident, Christmas lights brighten every porch and fence. Daylight hardly lasts several hours here at this time of year, and snow and sleet are never-ending but there is also contentment, friendliness, connection and engagement with others. Such values!! Reminders of what life should be about. We return to the UK on Friday – (we are going on a reindeer ride tomorrow – so excited!) – but I’m determined to take home with me the precious values I’ve rediscovered while over here. And, you’ve been sharing these exact same principles for years! It’s certainly the way to nourish our spirit! Have a wonderful Christmas – it was certainly lovely to meet you in the summer – see what I mean – connection!! Bernie x
How fun to hear your travel report Bernie! It sounds magical! Thank you for checking in, wonderful to meet you too (though I felt like I already knew you) .. that was a day I will never forget. Have fun! xoxo
I loved reading about all of the hyggeness! Thank you for the giveaways and Merry Christmas to you and yours!!🎄❄️🎄❄️
Susan, I just love your blog! Always so positive and inspiring. Thank you for sharing your world with us through your books and this blog. I have four of your books so far and I am looking forward to maybe a new one on your last trip to England. Enjoy the festive season. Greetings from South Africa.
Greetings Regina! Thank you! Hello to South Africa!
Terrific I would love to win
I have loved your cookbooks since they were first published. Your artwork and writing, along with your huge photos have been a comfort and joy for many years.
That should be hugge photos.
I know what you mean!
Dear Susan,
I dearly love your blog and books. Your writing is so inspiring and magical to read. Even if I never make England, I’ll always have your adventures to savor! Thank you for being a ray of sunshine in this unsettling world.
With Admiration,
Kerri
Thank you Kerri. xoxoxo
Hi there Susan,
glad all is well in your home sweet home.
I enjoy your blog immensely!
Blessings