HELLO from Christmas Island!!! Look how HAPPY I am!!! That’s because (and not at all discounting my daily dose of delicious anti-anxiety medicine (Lexapro for inquiring minds)) I started after 
Covid and worry-about-the-world almost did me in 😃, but I digress) ~ I’m happy for many reasons as you will see below, but first, THIS: my girlfriend Martha’s brilliant husband WROTE a brand new CHRISTMAS SONG.💖 Who DOES that? He’s usually so normal! It’s a totally original song 🎹, and I do believe you are the first audience to hear it! In fact, this is the only place on earth where you can hear it! He let me because we are old friends who live across the street, and when he sang it for us, before he’d even had it professionally recorded, I immediately thought of you!💞 “They’ll love this” I said. He didn’t even try to resist my begging ~ and graciously said, “Of, course, I’ll send it to you! That’s why I wrote it!” 💖💖💖💖💖
Here we go, this is it . . . The Mistletoe Waltz!
Perfect for Jane Austen movies! Right? Can’t you see Mr. Darcy dancing with Elizabeth to this? Molly has a gorgeous voice! It could be in the next Love Actually! Or Mariah Carey could sing it! Kelly Clarkson! Or Taylor Swift, Times Magazine 2020 Person of the Year, who fills our world with happiness and light! This song is like that! Happiness and Light. Good job Ivan!👏
So here we go, from me to you. . . a Willard filled with happiness and light, giving love away, very like A Christmas Carol, doing season past AND season future! Freezing here this morning, had to warm my hands over the toaster! Which of course was a win-win! Toast and warm hands! MAS MUSICA . . .
Our fall here on the island was gorgeous . . . with flaming skies at sunset, church bells rang, wild geese flew over, the wind blew chimney smoke 
around, leaves curled and turned orange, garnet, and gold, mini murmurations of grackles flew in low black clouds over and around the trees, the Harvest moon shone down with golden light … the freshened Autumn air, as Gladys Taber wrote, was “cool as an old coin teaspoon” …and whipped the leaves up behind the tires of our car. Just as it has been since the beginning of time. Perfection.
I decorated inside to match the outside. . .
But Nature does it best, inside the house too: Sun and leaves made shadows on the walls that fell differently in the shortening days . . .
Church bells rang the hour across the street . . . Between that and the boat whistle and the early morning blast of lighthouse foghorns, I am reminded constantly of how lucky I am . . .
Joe brought in branches of bright leaves to hang over mirrors . . .
We hung our wreath of leaves on the front door and dried corn on the kitchen door . . .
It’s that time of year when it’s FUN to carry the basket of wet laundry across the crunchy leaves in the fresh air to hang things out to dry in the wind, where a slight fragrance of leaf mulch and woodsmoke spice the airy sea-smell of our sheets. Even a speck of time in nature is good for what ails you ~ it carries forever the hum of ommmmmm in it!🍁 I spent the end of October and the first of November nursing around the house, getting it ready for company. I washed and . . .
…hung things on the line while Jack watched and waited in the kitchen window . . .
My shadow!
He watched while I starched and ironed tablecloths . . .
. . . sprinkled dresser scarves and table runners, curtains and napkins. Sssssss, the smell of hot iron …👏
Joe polished my wand and all his little silver things for his bar.
Jack helped me fold the starry sheets in his own inimitable way of helping . . . that is, sitting on them, making them his own.
He watched me arrange flowers, make beds, and freshen and make the guest rooms cozy for my people . . .
I stopped off in our room, Jack’s favorite shooting grounds, to shoot rubber bands for him ~ I stand at the door, grab a handful of hairbands, aim, and shoot over the bed, he waits on the workout bench, HIS workout bench, not mine . . see that rubber band in the air over his head? I do this at least 3 times a day, which is how I know I will be going to heaven. God loves those who take care of his creations.
He also likes me to shoot down from the top of the stairs, in freezing bare feet, when I want to go to bed, while he runs up and down the bottom stairs catching them . . . he catches them, but doesn’t bring them back anymore. That’s my job. He has made that very clear . . .
As it was getting closer to Thanksgiving, and our guests were on their way, I set out bread on the ironing board in the pantry to dry for my grandma’s stuffing; Joe is there choosing bottles of wine… . . . we wanted to make it special . . .
Because we had family coming! And suddenly, hooray, they began to arrive ~ I found I just wanted to LOOK at them!👀 But I was trying very hard not to be scary Aunt Sue!😜 This happy guy is my nephew Matt Stewart . . . you might recognize him because…
. . . in the way-back machine, Matt flew over to join us on our trip to England and Paris with two of my other nieces Holly and Heidi the day after he graduated from high school in Durango, Colorado in 2001! We had these three for six weeks! Best trip ever!
The gang’s all here and out to dinner we went … that’s Becca on the left, Matt’s girlfriend who I had never met, then Joe, then my niece Jessica, my nephew Matt, Cory (Jessica’s husband), Maggie, and Eliza (Jessica and Cory’s daughters), and Eliza’s boyfriend Justin, who I hadn’t met either, but new people at the table are always fun! And I, as a strict Morning Scientist, like to study the younger generation to see what the future will be and talk about it with Joe later. (It’s okay, they never noticed.😁 They think they’re normal.)
We walked out to the water, through the woods, with the smell of decaying leaves … looking for shells and beach glass . . .
Then downtown to tiny La Choza on the corner of Main Street to get the fattest, yummiest, homemade (except in a restaurant), Burritos on earth!
Cory entertained us with hilarious pirate stories of his sailing days. I analyzed, of course, and found them very very good.😱😅😂🤣 Little bits of information, here and there, from every one of those kids make me know the future is in good hands. They are as passionate as we were, but much more motivated and powerful, and ready to take it on. And they have Taylor Swift on their side! (MAS MUSICA … my Grandma’s Favorite)
I’m STILL analyzing this move by the mother of children!😂 What EVER it means (it could be a kind of dancing), it IS cute! After all, MY mother said, “Boss!” when she liked something.🙄 Some of them stayed 4 days, some of them stayed 3 . . . and all of it was wonderful. Matt and Jessie, the children of two of my brothers, Chuck and Jim, both grew up in Durango, Colorado, but because they were five years apart in age, they had never really spent any time together before they all moved away, so this was extra special (for me) just for that reason. I like the cousins to know each other. 💖 And I like to know them! (Have you read the most wonderful “knowing people” book that’s just out, written by David Brooks and appropriately called “How to Know a Person?” SO GOOD, so smart! A great Christmas present! Order it HERE or HERE and make our small Independent Island bookstores crazy with happiness❤️). Oh the power!
Jack found a comfy perch where he could keep his eyes on everything!
Time to make the Stuffing! My grandma’s recipe and HER mom’s, which means that, for Eliza and Maggie, this stuffing I’ve been eating since I was little, came from their great-great-great-grandmother Sarah, born in 1870 in Adel, Iowa! I don’t know where she got the recipe! Probably HER mom!
The recipe is in my Autumn Book . . . we dipped the slices of bread we dried in the pantry in a sinkful of the hottest water we could stand, and squeezed the water out, as you can see above, so you have chunks of bread with finger marks in them.
You keep dipping, squeezing, and tearing into chunks, till you get a bowlful, then add chopped celery and onion that’s been sautéed and softened in lots of butter, salt and pepper, then a whole jar of sage. Mix it well with your ands and voila! That’s all I do to it, I love it simple, just the way my Grandma made it, smothered in turkey gravy ~ and from there I put it right into the turkey … but some people will make this basic recipe and add sausage or oysters, whatever means Thanksgiving to you is what you should do!
Matt knew how to make it and helped me! (BTW, see Matt’s long hair? Both he and Becca grow their hair and donate it to people stricken with cancer. If you have an abundance of hair, and need somewhere to put it . . . here’s how you do it!)
Matt and I have been good partners in the kitchen for a long time!
I made the cranberry sauce and popped it in the oven, and we are STILL eating Christmas Jam on the delicious scones Matt and Becca brought us from Shelley’s Tea Room in Plymouth, MA where they stopped on their way down to the island from Boston! Now I need to GO there! Jam’s so simple:
Maggie, who is 16, peeled the potatoes . . .
Maggie and Eliza have helped me in the kitchen before!💝
This was one of their creations! How did the world survive before cameras? This cookie is still fresh and beautiful! We always wish that time would stand still, and look at this blog full of standing-still moments that will never come again. Thank you camera inventor!
And suddenly it was TIME! Joe’s Beautiful Turkey 2023 was done!
Kids set the table, Joe sliced the turkey, I heated the rolls so the tops were crisp and the insides were soft, and we all carried the food to the table . . . I did not forget the most delicious French salted butter for the rolls.
Have you tried this yet? OMG it is beyond delicious… everyone LOVES it . . .
And Voila! We did it! Together, we made it happen! My mom would be SOOOOOO happy to see this!!! 💞
So fun, I got to be the Grandma and read the words to MY grandma’s favorite hymn of gratitude and celebration…
I wanted, with our togetherness, to honor these people, most of whom our kids have never met. (I’m the little face with the white barrette with Jessica’s dad on my right 😍, you can only see the very top of Matt’s Dad’s head, in his high chair toward the back.😂) That’s my Grandma on the left, and her dad (on her right), Merrill James Orr (he’s the fourth child of seven, father of ten, and my mom’s grandpa) ~ and he’s Maggie and Eliza’s great-great-great grandfather. He was born in 1871 in Stacyville, Iowa. This is the thing I love most about growing older, now I’m the connection between long long ago, and today, and even the future. Merrill’s g-g grandfather was born in 1745 in Plymouth MA, where Joe and I are going for a little Christmas get-away/shopping (and Shelley’s Tea Room) next week. 
I told the kids that our old house was built in 1849 and how I can hear echoes of stories of the families and their friends that lived here before us, their birthdays, the Christmas trees, tea parties, soups bubbling on the stove, their school days, changes of seasons, children, new babies, pets, and how this was our 34th Thanksgiving in the house, but it was the House’s 164th! The history! I thanked them for helping us add to the house DNA by being there for this one. Our house hugs back and I’m convinced this is the reason why. Doing our best to leave it ringing with memories, for the next people.
Of course, what do you do after Thanksgiving? You find out if you’re taller than your mother! I literally remember when I was finally taller than my mother, and I think it might even happened at Thanksgiving!😊💃🏼
Beautiful Girls ~ Jessica is the daughter of my brother Jim and his wife Kate; and her daughters, my great nieces Liza and Maggie.❤️
Jessica with her mom, Kate.💖
Yes, this photo was at least partially staged, that’s why all the smiles . . . because we are a modern people! After dinner we all snuggled into the wood room to watch the wonderful NY stage play production of Hamilton on Disney+! They knew ALL the words, made me so happy, they sang all the way through it.🎵🎶🎵
All too soon we were at the boat waving goodbye to Jessica and Cory on the ferry, time for the kids to go back to school and for them to go back to work . . .👋💗💗💗
Then it was time for Matt and Becca to go . . .
Matt told me I would love Becca, and I definitely did! We’re going out to California in January and hope to see them there! 👏 And then, deep breath . . . tick-tock, dastardly clock never stops … it was back to normal . . .🧡
No one took a picture of my cute outfit, so I did. That flannel skirt turns 40 next year! Tip for the day: Always buy skirts with elastic waists.👏 I’ll let you know when I get myself into that buttoned skirt I wore on my first date with Joe! A whole OTHER story!😊
Cruel children left us with this … seriously dangerous . . . after one relatively short fork-frenzy, I cut the rest of the Pumpkin Cheesecake in half, took half up the street to Lowely’s, and the other half over to Martha’s! (Wish I had it this moment!)
Then back to THIS, trying to get Thanksgiving OFF me . . . doing my planks. Which I started a few months ago by doing one plank and holding it for 3 seconds.🤪 Now I have worked up to doing three, 
holding each for 50 seconds. You know what that means… if I can do it, you can.💝 All of Google agrees that if you can only do one exercise, this is the one! And one of the secrets to happiness… and maybe not planks, but there is always something we can do to keep those joy levels going strong. Life has been more than complicated these last years, turns out it’s up to us to MAKE it the way we want it. Turn on the music YOU like, make the cookies YOU adore, have the tea YOU love, if you want green hair, HAVE it … because if mama ain’t happy, ain’t no one happy.🧑🎤 And you know, life is short.😘
With a little help from my friend. Then I turned the calendar to 
So first thing, because the holidays are upon us . . . I want to give you your Full Moons Bookmark for 2024 . . . so you can make your stocking stuffers! 💖 Just click, print it out, and then cut it out.
And then, I mentioned that Joe and I are taking the train to California in January? So excited!! 🚂 We’ll get there around January 15th and stay probably a month (or for as long as it takes), because we’re MOVING our California Studio a LOT closer to where Kellee lives ~ and we’ll be selling the house we’ve owned for 22 years, in Arroyo Grande, just below San Luis Obispo, on the Central Coast.💖 We actually spent most of our time there for the first 10 years of the 2000s … I loved it, despite the double-wide aspect of the house. I didn’t care, while I was there, it was the House of Creativity! It’s where I saw my first bluebird. One year we brought in a bunch of sand and made a beach next to the creek! We made a firepit down there, put a long table under the trees and had Thanksgiving dinner outdoors. My brother played the guitar and we all sang.🍁🍁🍁
THEREFORE… because we think about lightening our moving vans, we’re having a MOVING SALE …. starting now, all December long, until midnight December 31 ~ All my books, the calendars, recipe cards, post cards, art prints, and giclees, are all ON SALE for 20% off! We’ve never done this before, but I promised Kellee we’d make it as easy as possible! We might add more, so check back . . . she’s still figuring out what we have enough of! So we have a lot to do when we get out there!
Sale includes Christmas Memories, Gratitude, Enchanted, Grandma’s Story, ALL my books!
YUP, Home for Christmas too! AND if any of YOU need to make your own little farm in the country on the Central Coast of California on 8 flat acres, completely fitted with an overhead irrigation system that comes from a year-round creek running through the property that comes from Lopez Lake and passes through to the sea, let me know. Everything grows there because it is an ancient river bed. Arroyo Grande means Big Ditch, but now it’s a beautiful wine, artichoke, and avocado producing area in its own micro climate . . . where good weather is even better there. There’s a back road through the wine country to SLO, so I never had to get on the freeway to go there; and the house is about 3 miles from Pismo Beach. Trader Joe’s is about a 6 minute car ride away!
OUR CALIFORNIA PARADISE IS ACTUALLY FOR SALE! 😲 TELL EVERYONE! Because I’d like to sell it to someone who will love it as much as I did.💝
This is how the picket fence garden looked when I lived there all the time! It’s still pretty, but not as flowery without me around. I will love seeing it cared for again!
Photo by Christopher Gardner. Aug 2004
Susan Branch at her AG home and garden
This is the house from the road . . . The house itself isn’t great . . . it’s usable, two or three bedrooms, depends on how you look at it, and 2 bathrooms, with its own well. But you’d really want to build a house out back where you could hear the creek running at night ~ that’s what we would have done if I hadn’t gotten so homesick for New England. Very difficult to be in two places at once.
At the end of this hedge that we planted, turn left and you’re at the creek, it winds along that row of trees back there . . . and the property continues a bit on the other side of the creek.
This is the property from the back; the creek is about this same distance behind me . . . A tractor comes with the property!
When we came home from our first garden tour of England we went fairly crazy planning the garden. . .building hedges, a long walk, and garden rooms around the house . . .
I laid it out on paper, and it’s all there along with several out buildings.
Artichokes grow so well there, the best I ever tasted! We grew them behind the garage next to the back wall of it. It was toasty warm and they were ecstatic and prolific as you can see! There are citrus trees, avocado trees, a walnut tree, a plum, fig, apple, and I can’t remember what else.
We planted lots of roses . . . they love this little valley.
Oh yes, we planted tiny Christmas Apple (or Lady apple) trees there too. Because unlike Martha’s Vineyard, things bloom and grow in California year-round. And those that don’t grow well on our Island, like Sweet Peas? One year I had them blooming in California from March to August!!! Oh yeah.🥰
Joe planted corn and all sorts of veggies . . .
The plum tree in springtime ~ it’s a property with SO MUCH potential, everything between farm, winery, estate, wedding venue or garden nursery . . . Although zoning, I have no idea . . .there was a nursery on that road about ½ mile up from us . . . it’s gone now, but there are still wineries and a farmstand. I’m going to love being there for January! I like to walk, 9 times around the property equals 3 miles. It’s not on the market yet … I don’t even know what things are selling for out there, but if you have interest, email [email protected] and we’ll pass your note to our realtor, which we don’t have yet!😜
I received a sample of our new cup for approval! It looks beautiful! I’m so excited to send it to my people. They should be arriving to the new Studio toward the end of January . . . I love it, I know you will too. I drink my Fine Romance private blend Tea (Earl Grey with lavender), with honey and cream, out of it everyday and looking at this new cup, I celebrate how our country got started. And for a moment in the quiet morning, I treasure the peace we have always felt in this country and promise to do everything I can to make more of it.💖
Yes it is! So don’t forget to enjoy the deliciousness of this 
Holiday Egg Nog. I changed it a bit this year. Love milk so much, I reversed the measurements, and made a much lighter version, now it’s ⅔ c. milk over crushed ice, splash of eggnog (too taste), splash of bourbon, shake of nutmeg. I think it’s better! Just plain YUMMY, and easy! And there’s calcium in it! Now light the fire or the candles, make a toast to peace on earth, and let the daydreaming begin.
It snowed on our walk yesterday, blasted us actually . . . it didn’t stay on the ground, but it was the first one, and it came down pretty hard for a while, coming straight at us and sticking to our eyelashes. Of course we loved it. We were listening to 
Dickens Pickwick Papers . . . We decided December goes perfectly with Dickens. It’s a really funny book, written more like short stories (it was originally a magazine serial), but in some places it’s VERY hard to understand. The reader is excellent at accents and voices, but some of ye olde 19th century English accents might as well be Hungarian. We need subtitles which Audible does not provide. Because that would be “a book.” Still it’s fun to be in the wind, in 1829 England, and ALSO, at the same time, in the first snow of the season in 2023. When we get home from Plymouth we’re going to listen to A Christmas Carol. 
I’m decorating again!
Decorating with all the little things that have become our traditions . . . old books, old music, old friends . . . and with all our years together, you know some of them as well as I do!
Using all the things we have in common, like sparkly things . . .
. . . candles, bunting, and angel chimes . . . things found, and things made . . .
Homemade things and memories 💞
And this . . . 💖💖💖 Big Magic!
Yes, I’m getting ready for Christmas and my Girlfriends Gift Exchange. Probably one of my smallest parties, because as we get older, we have SO MANY beloveds, it would take something miraculous to do it with everyone! And my beloveds includes you! My first gift to you all, wasn’t even mine, it was Ivan’s new song! Want to hear it again?
I’ve also planned very tiny gift exchange with just one of you. Problem is, I don’t know WHICH one yet❓❓❓So far, it’s a mystery! Your part is to leave a comment, from which we’ll draw names and whichever name I get, I have a present for. Would you like to know what it is? Okay … It’s not this:
But you know how I always love to decorate with quilts? They are so festive and charming and add a bit of coziness, wherever they are,
with their old-fashioned, handmade, historical nature, . . . I put them in the kitchen (no matter that it doesn’t make sense, they make it cozy and I love the color!), hang them over the backs of chairs . . on quilt racks in the bedrooms, I stack them on the top of the hutch in the living room . . . drape them over sofas . . . . everywhere I can think of . . . because they’re so pretty!
And I’ve painted them into my books …
Since the very beginning . . .
Sharing this thing I love has been easy. I’ve collected vintage quilts pretty much all my life, since my Grandma gave me one my great-Grandma Sarah made and opened my eyes to this gorgeous homemade art of our foremothers, who by the way, could do ANYTHING and wasted nothing . . . and that is why . . . 
Jack and I thought it would be nice to give away one of my beauties to a good home.💝
YOURS! This beautiful quilt is my secret Santa gift to a very special universal YOU 💞 . . . Just leave a comment (at very bottom of this post there are a bunch of tiny words… at the end you’ll see “comments” ~ click there) to be entered in our drawing, and soon this 64″ x 77″ handmade 
quilt (there is nothing standard about the sizes of old quilts!) will be winging its way to the lucky winner. Always remember you have a LOT better chance of your name being drawn here than you do with the Lottery and, creme de la creme, we don’t charge for tickets.💞 Another win-win!😃 I’m sorry, but I already know I won’t be able to answer all your comments this time, as you can guess, but believe me, I will read them and make sure they all get entered.💝 Are you signed up to get my Willard Newsletters mailed to your box? This would be a very good time to make sure. Sign-up is at the top left of this page. I’ll announce the winner in the next Willard!
And so Tra La, another Willard, AND another year under our belts my dears . . Wishing you all, from my heart, the very Merriest of Christmases, Happy Hanukkah, Joyful Kwanzaa, Feliz Navidad, Joyeux Noel, Mele Kalikimaka🌴, Seasons Greetings, and any other thing I might have forgotten,😃 and God Bless us every one.💞
With love from me and Joe! Hoping you 
Loved it when you were living in AG and have missed your store. My girlfriends and I have had to settle for visiting Ventana Grill, watching the sunset and raising a glass to our fun times at your store and farmstand.
Thank you Susan for sharing your homes (and Joe and Jack) with us! I am now inspired to decorate my home. And just a wee bit envious of your gardens.
I love your writing, photography, quotes! I’m reading Fairytale Girl loving it I’ve kind of read your books backwards but catching on. So fun.
Such a blessed life you have. I see a lot of me in you. I was a photographer/Graphic Artist for 28 years. I’m taking watercolor classes that I love now that I’m semi retired. I have Beatrix Potter’s figurines also from the 80’s And a few quilts that I have made. I taught my mom how to quilt and now I’m making a quilt for my daughter, a memory quilt. I would cherish your quilt forever and pass it on to her. She knows I love you. I’m getting calendars soon for Christmas so excited, thank you for all that you do to bring joy to the world during such tough times. Amen
Merriest of Merry Christmases to You & Joe!
Finding a new Willard in my mail makes for a happy day! I cherish my old scrappy quilt that I grew up sleeping under. It is a cheerful 1940’s grandmother’s flower garden with a sunny yellow backing. I believe it is why I began quilting 30 years ago. Wishing you a safe and wonderful train trip to Cali.
What a fun thanksgiving you had. My husband and I had the flu and we were home alone. I pulled out some pork chops from the freezer and baked them and fell asleep and our thanksgiving dinner burned. Oh well. We enjoyed each other’s company. Thank you for the chance to win a beautiful quilt. Merry Christmas!
Your letter always reminds me of home. Thank you for your thoughtfulness and sharing. It is so lovely of you. You make me feel normal. 😊 Everything is so cozy. Quilts are so beautiful and full of stories. I too use them also. BTW – The song was beautiful! Merry Christmas to you and yours!
Wishing you a beautiful, peaceful Christmas 🎄 and many blessings in the New Year as you travel to California. Love seeing pictures of your sweet home and sharing joy and hope with us!💗 My husband and I still talk about our once in a lifetime trip we were able to share with you on the Queen Mary II….precious memories for our hearts. So thankful for you and your sweet spirit. Merry Christmas to you and Joe🎅🏻.💌
Such a pretty quilt and such a kind gesture. xx
Oh, how I love the surprise of opening my email and finding one from you!! I’m having a wonderful holiday season so far. Table full of family for Thanksgiving. Joy and laughter everywhere. I collapse into my chair while the “kids” take care of parceling out the leftovers, loading the dishwasher and doing the pots and pans. All the while my great grands (Pandora 6 and Atlas (3 1/2) are playing at my feet and whispering about I don’t know what! My heart swelled so big I had to grab my chest and heave a great sign. The best feeling! IN! THE! WORLD!
Thank you for reminding me lo these many years to seek out the little things in my life. Now the littles are bigger and the newest generation of littles are showing me all their magic. I’m their Gigi (great grandma)! Oh the hugs and kisses we share every day. I am so very blessed.
For me passing down a hand crochet baby blanket is a gift I do for all my nieces, nephews, grand and great grands over the years. Also a full size afghan (usually) white as a wedding gift. It is my hope that they think kind thoughts of me years from now when they wrap their little ones in the blanket stitched with love.
I was so excited to see a new Willard! So here I am to thank you for your words and the chance, but also to wish you a very Merry Christmas!
I’m in North Hollywood, not far at all from your childhood hometown. That whole area of Arroyo Grande, Pismo and SLO is a favorite vacation spot of mine, so I know whoever the lucky buyer of your property is, is going to be enchanted with the area! So gorgeous!
Love your photos! Love your prose! Love your art!
Merry Christmas!
What a wonderful Christmas surprise! Of course we ALL want to win the quilt. It is beautiful and whichever one of us is the lucky one, will probably wear it around the house for a week! I hope for you and Joe, a very Merry Christmas and a wonderful New Year.
So love your posts from your beautiful home…and reading about your life. Quilts are so full of history …would love to win one!
Thank you for such a cheerful Willard. Your homes are beautiful inside and out!
Enjoy the California weather in January!
Merry Christmas and a joyful holiday season to you both.
Pam
Long Island, NY
After a busy day, your blog was just what I needed. Makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Merry Christmas to you and yours.
Susan, for years you have delighted so many of us with your love and affinity for the details of life that are oft overlooked by many. You encourage us to slow down, enjoy what we have and our surroundings and foster contentment in our little kingdoms. Thank you for opening your heart and sharing your talents. Merry Christmas to you, dear soul. May all of your wishes come true.
I am always reminded of beauty and gratitude as I read your newsletter. I appreciate this so much when we are often hammered with news of fear dread and sadness. Thank you for always celebrating the joy around us and sharing it so beautifully.
As usual thank you for your visit-that is how I think of your posts. I read with tv off, soft music in the background, later in the night at a time I know I won’t be interrupted. I want to be able to read it from start to finish without interruptions. How sweet of you and Jack to share one of your quilts. My grandmother would “put up a quilt” every winter to work on in the guest room where she grew african violets in the window sills. I still love quilts and violets! Sending you blessings this holiday season and the coming year.
I love your cute outfit! I, too, have 40-year-old skirts.
Want to say thank you for bringing joy to my day. It’s so much fun to read Willard.
You’re just wonderful❤️
Merry Christmas! Thank you for the lovely post and chance to win a quilt! I have two that my great grandmother made out of the dresses my mom wore growing up. I absolutely cherish them.
I always enjoy reading your posts, they are so cozy (hyggelig), informative and always honest. I have several quilts that have come to me from my family and my husband’s New England Mayflower family. Right now my Grandmother’s red and white quilt came from the quilt rack, that was bought because you have one, onto our guest room bed.
One year we bought a lone star quilt because we saw group of Amish ladies that were quilting it…in my head I see an image of them white caped head down speaking softly as they quilted…it was lovely and an image that was not possible to photograph.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year and safe travels.
I love it every time I see a post from you! I get my tea and settle in to take my time and enjoy every word and every photo! Thank you for continuing to share your delightful outlook on life with us. You bring so much joy to the world! Merry Christmas!
Merry Christmas! I love quilts, especially at Christmas. They add a warmth to the home like nothing else. Thanks for the peek into your warm family, the love shows through the smiles!
Merry Christmas, old friend! Or at least I feel like you are my old friend! I love all your updates. So good to hear from you!
Since 1990 I have enjoyed your art, Christmas cookbook, family stories and calendars
Thank you for your warmth and words all these years. I started quilting because of you and those beautiful pictures of your quilts. I love reading your travels and viewing your photos.
You are a part of my life and I have never met you!
Make all your recipes for the holidays… xoxo
Another fun and witty Willard! I save these emails for just the right moment so I can read every word, examine every photo (for instance what’s on the pantry shelves, hmm let me zoom in, lol, just so much fun) But I love how much you LOVE family. And you make me want to live in New England EVERY TIME!
Your quilts!!! You have such a gorgeous collection, I’m always on a look out for one at thrift stores or goodwills but haven’t found any that I love, not yet. One day!
Merriest Christmas and everything wonderful in the new year! Thanks for this very generous opportunity! So fun catching up with you.
Thank you for all the joy you bring through your words and your creativity. You are an inspiration!
Dear Susan, Thank you for all the details, book idea, new song and inspiration to embrace family of all ages. I always get excited when I see Willard in my inbox. Have a wonderful Christmas!
Dear Susan,
How generous to offer one of your beautiful quilts!
I love that family connects everything about you.
May you&Joe have a wonderful holiday, and a safe trip
to CA in Jan.
Merry Christmas!
Bonnie Brown
Thanks for a great post. 2023 has been a tough year, so it was nice to read something good! Enjoy your holidays!
Susan
I so loved reading your Willard and seeing photos of your visit with your nieces and nephew.
It looked like a good time was had by all. Your last quote by Wm. H.H. Murray touched my heart. As I get older with a little gray in my hair😉 I’ve come to cherish all my time with my family and friends. Sending joy and peace for a very Merry Christmas to you and Joe.
Merry Christmas!
This makes me so happy! I ❤️ old quilts from far and near! Thank you for this opportunity and your lovely sentiments throughout all you share with us!
I have a quilt my grandmother made completely by hand with the tiniest of stitches. And because she would never waste a scrap of fabric she used the clothes that had been outgrown by the children. My dad was the youngest of 10 and I love that raggedy quilt made with his old clothes.
Merry Christmas, Susan! We will miss you out here in California. Your blogs always make me so nostalgic for the East, where I grew up (in Pa.) You remind me of my mom and a wonderful, simpler way of life. With better food. IOt’s all good!
😄😂🤣😍
What a lovely idea. I’ve been using old quilts to block the drafts, and they make a great display.
I LOVE WILLARD! I look forward to reading them over and over again. Such wise words and great, fun ideas. I still read your book “Christmas Joy” every year before Thanksgiving and through the entire Christmas Season. You help me decorate and find the Joy in little things and shiny things. Thank you for being YOU and helping us stay thankful and happy.
Hope you, Joe and Jack have a Merry Christmas!
So thankful for all the wonderful traditions and love filled things you encourage us to carry on. All of my family before me are gone from the earth. Quilts are such lovely symbols of so many things, like family, history, all the parts of life! I love that you treasure them and value history. Bless you in this weary world. Thank you for all of your encouragement over the years.
Hello Susan and greeting from the Pacific Northwest! Loved reading the latest Willard and would like to enter my name for a chance to win the gorgeous quilt! Love the red – so Christmasy! Have a wonderful Christmas!
I love nature, quilts and good books like yours! Enjoy California, I’m right next door to you in Arizona!
Thanks for the lovely Willard! Always a joy to spend time with you and feel like you’re my BFF♥️ Merry Christmas!🎁
I’m so glad to see your amazing success, both personally & in business. You really are living a dream life. Back in 1980’s when I bought your first book & wrote to you, I couldn’t imagine how wonderfully your life would turn out: I should have! Congratulations!
All due to my lovely readers, girlfriends, who’ve stuck with me through the years. It’s been such a blessing! ❌⭕️❌⭕️
Dear Susan, I loved seeing the pictures of you having fun with your family and can tell what a great time you all had together. Thanks for sharing. The quilt you are giving away is beautiful and I have my fingers crossed that it comes home to live with me. I had a friend who collected old quilts and she would always say, “if only quilts could talk, the stories they could tell”. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Thank you, Thank you, Thank you. You brighten my day when ever I read your blog or your books. Your art brings me joy. Have a Merry Merry 2023 Christmas and ring in the New Year with Hope and Laughter!!!💗💝💐🐈⬛🍬🍬🚂🎈🎁🎄🎄🕯️🛍️
Quilts are just the best! My grandmother was an avid quilter and so is my mom. Such an amazing talent with a keepsake result ❤️
How I would love to buy your place in Arroyo Grande. My husband and I went to school at Cal Poly and all three of our kids did as well. The Central Coast has a special place in our hearts. But I would settle for the beautiful quilt. :^) I love your Willards as well as all of your books. Happy Holidays to you!
Happy holidays and thanks for the chance to win the quilt—love them too!
Oh, Susan, what a precious song, The Mistletoe Waltz. Molly’s voice is pure perfection, Jonathan accompanying her by piano, nothing better.
I listened over and over again as I read through your Willard, the music was calming, joyous, beautiful, and quaint all rolled up into one. Thank-you for sharing with us. :o)
Susan, beautiful, inspirational writing as always! Love old quilts… the textures & fabrics of days gone by… years ago, I happened upon a yard sale on Bethel Island, California. There in an old box was a complete yo-yo coverlet quilt. I snapped it up for a few dollars. We were watching The Roosevelt miniseries at the time and learned about the women of the depression era making things out of every scrap of fabric.Old clothing went in the fabric bin… nothing went to waste… the little scrap pieces were made into yo-yos (tiny round circles stitched & gathered to form a little puff). This coverlet took on new meaning for me as I looked at each little piece of fabric, made from the ladies cotton dresses that were worn out. It is a very dear treasure tucked tenderly in my quilt cupboard.
This Christmas quilt would be a dream to win! I’d feel so honored to be the proud owner of a Susan Branch original! I once made a quilt for my baby niece and so I appreciate your hard work to design this beautifully, cozy quilt!! 💖
Quick reply, because that quilt is actually quite old, I found it in an antique store and have treasured it for years. But I didn’t make it.💝💝💝💝
Love your post! Thank you for sharing one of your quilts!
Thank you for sharing your Thanksgiving with us. Also loved the pictures of Jack. He’s such a photogenic boy! Merry Christmas.
Such a warm gathering with the children.Memories are so special.Your willards bring a smile and happy feelings.Wishing you and Joe a special Merry Christmas full of love and joy!
Merry Christmas! I love reading your blog. It’s always so upbeat. Thanks for sharing the info about your California house. I would love to visit the area someday.
Merry Christmas ~ so glad you had a wonderful time with your people.
Looking forward to the next Willard. You always leave a smile and hope for celebrating the rest of the day. Christmas blessings to you and Joe.
What joy your Willard posts bring me. You are a blessing to so many. Love your books, calendars, etc. Your writings are always so cheerful, filled with positivity, love to hear about your travels and everyday life. Look forward to the next Willard. What an amazing gift it would be, if you were to draw my name for the quilt giveaway. Merry, Happy Holidays.
Merry Christmas, Susan and Joe!!! Thank you for continuing to bring such joy and honesty to our little world! I cherish each and every SB item that I have, they always bring a smile to my face even on the worst day. The quilt is a stunner and no doubt the coziest! The winner will truly be blessed! I wish you peace and joy throughout the holiday season and New Year!
Oh how I would love to win this quilt!! I used to volunteer at our local animal shelter and people would donate bedding,towels, etc to us and I happen to take care of the laundry. I would come across old quilts so I would “rescue” them and replace the ones I took with a new blanket so I wasnt stealing, LOL. I have quite a few now and just love them, but so sad that someone didnt realize how wonderful they were, all handmade!! So if you could enter me in your give away, I promise I will love and treasure this quilt!!
This is the perfect advertisement for volunteering at the animal shelter!!!👏👏👏😘😘😘😘
Always love reading your blogs Susan, but especially during the Thanksgiving and Christmas season! Personally, I find sweet Jack to be the star of the show! He seems like a great buddy.
Would love to have any souvenir that has spent time on MV. I’m probably not going to be able to get there myself, but it would be nice to put my hand on something that came from there.
Lovely idea! I use my inherited and collected patchwork quilts every day!
I live in an ancient house in a small village in the southwest of England….and I love reading about your life on your idyllic island. One day maybe I will get to see it. When I retired I learned to quilt and adore seeing your antique quilts…they are much harder to come by over here.
Reading about your life in that beautiful house is a joy, so thank you for the warmth and inspiration.
My mom would LOVE this quilt! She has always been such a fan of yours and gifts all her daughters your calendars, mugs, etc.! She was booked on your cruise but had to cancel last minute and she was so so sad to miss it! She would treasure this! Thank you!!!
Merry Christmas! Your post always brighten my day, my Christmas will be different this year a baby on the way from one daughter and one daughter not coming home staying home and celebrating with her husband so sad and happy at same time!
Hi, Susan and Joe,
Just loved hearing about your Thanksgiving traditions, family time and Christmas dreams.
It seems as if you both are doing the same thing I am right now, “downsizing”. I joined a local “Buy Nothing” group in my town and gave away quite a few things to several neighbors. Lightens the load, doesn’t it?
Looking forward to reading about your January trip. Have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from Michigan!
I love old quilts too. My current one is pretty much a rag. But it is soooo soft. I rescued it from getting thrown away! My Mema gave it to us to pad furniture in a moving van. Said it was on its last leg and to throw it away when we got home! It was but it has kept me so cozy the last 3 years!
I love your blog and the quilts abd the quotes and the pictures… You get the idea. Joyeux Noel!
Wishing you and Joe a cozy, happy, and charmed New England Christmas & New Year!
Oh I would so love to win the quilt for one of my daughters!
I look forward to receiving the Willard in my in-box – such a delight 🙂
Have a Merry Christmas! Wish I could buy your home in Cali
Merry Christmas!I love these beautiful quilts and the coziness and meaning they bring to your home! I feel so inspired to do this in my own home! Any sourcing tips would be greatly appreciated!
I love all of your beautiful content! Brings so much joy! Blessings to you!
Emily
A new Willard is always a treat, saved for when I have time to savor it. Your property near SLO would be the dream f my younger self. My old self yearns for a small cottage in SLO. Thanks for the warm coziness of your words. XO
I’m in awe of antique quilts and the creativity, work and skill that went into making them. Thank you for brightening my day with your Willards and I wish you, Joe and Jack continuing health and happiness this Christmas and the coming year!
Happy Holidays to you and yours. Thank you for being such a kind and wonderful spirit and spreading love and light with all that you do! I love how much you share your life and gifts with us “girlfriends” it truly warms the heart! Merry Christmas! @—>—-
Blessing upon Blessing flows from your heart to Joe, Jack, your family, neighbors, ancestors and your fans. All you set your soul to is Delightful. I’ve been a reader from North Lake Tahoe since Heart of the Home.
Words for all of these gorgeous comments are inadequate … thank you Sherry . . . my life has been blessed by YOU, and all of our kindred spirits. I can only say THANK YOU! With all my heart.💝
I’m so glad you were able to enjoy Thanksgiving with “your people.” That really is what it is all about, isn’t it? Not what is on the table, but who is on the chairs. I love the song The Mistletoe Waltz. Thank you for sharing it with us. Please put my name in the drawing for the lovely quilt. <3 Merry Christmas!
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
Merry Christmas and a Happy, Healthy New Year to you and Joe and Jack! You are all loved beyond measure and bring so much love and joy into ALL our lives. Thank you, dear Sue! xoxo
First, I always enjoy reading Willard and seeing your updates. I’m a quilter and love the amazing individuality that quilting fosters from picking out fabrics to patterns to quilting designs, it’s so fun! Kudos for such a great give away idea! 🥳
I look forward to you Williards so much and hope to win that gorgeous quilt
I absolutely love the Mistletoe Waltz. It is glorious.
This Willard came at a perfect time. I needed some joy and happiness in my day.
Family is so important and it was fun to meet some of yours.
Peace to you and Joe this holiday and safe travels to Cali. That trip is on my bucket list.
I have taken days to slowly read and enjoy the brightness of this Willard, and it is my first! I’ve always loved your art; the cheery, folksy feeling makes me fuzzy inside, and reminds me of tea and cookie filled days with my Grandma when I was a little girl in the early 90s. She was a quilter, and lived in a big, cedar sided house she and my Grandpa built in ’85 here in the PNW. She passed when I was just 13 from breast cancer, and now I see little reminders of her in my own home decor; she lives on in me without much effort! I would love to win one of your beautiful quilts, it would fit right in here at my cozy little home in Troutdale, Oregon, the gateway to the Columbia River Gorge. Thanks for such a happy post, it has warmed my heart!
Welcome to the neighborhood Christina, lots of lovely kindred spirits here! xoxo
So lovely to read your words today and see all of your holiday preparations. Thank you for sharing your world.
All of your quilts are so pretty and festive any time of year! Can you imagine the history behind old quilts? I imagine several ladies around a table quilting the same quilt, sharing stories and adding their talents to it making it so very special and treasured for years and years. I love The Mistletoe Waltz …… It will be playing in my head all day….thank you for your pictures and stories of your very special family. Merry Christmas to you and Joe and Jack!
Merry Christmas! Thank you, Susan, for a really fun visit with you and your family!
I love the music and pictures and quilts!!! You are so kind to share your quilt and what a very beautiful and loving gift.
Aloha Susan and Joe,
Thank you so much for sharing Ivan’s wonderful waltz – and I really could imagine Elizabeth Bennett waltzing with Mr Darcy (Colin Firth of course!) Your photos of family Thanksgivings made me tear up a little (and a tadpole in my throat) because suddenly I could “see” all those family gatherings of cousins, aunts, uncles, my brothers and parents all around the table with my Grandma in the middle of all her grandkids. She was a mom of seven. She made little doll quilts for each of the grand daughters. I still have mine – my cousins were all astonishment I kept it! Have a wonderful, happy Christmas and stay healthy and happy!
The period of your life during which you lived in California with Joe sounds intriguing. This is the most I’ve ever heard of it. Perhaps a book covering those years, your store out there, etc.? Have a wonderful Christmas!
Thank you Susan, my Soul Sister, for this lovely Willard and a peek at your life. Wishing you a wonderful holiday & a fabulous trip out west in January.
Love, Kate
Susan, Love your Willards! Your quilts are gorgeous. Whoever wins your antique quilt will be a lucky person. I love quilts & hang them around my house, too. Thank you for all your ideas, wonderful quotes, family pictures, etc., etc. all year long. Hope you and Joe have a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
I would be thrilled to be selected to win the quilt, but I cannot promise my kitties Lily & Violet won’t hog it all for themselves!
I have been collecting quilts like you and now finally am learning the art of making them. And it’s truly an art and a labor of love! I would love to be the one gifted yours this Christmas!
So beautiful, charming, and lovely. 🤗💕✨ I still have all of your Willard’s that you used to send out on paper. Priceless! 😊 And, I would LOVE that quilt,… sooo much, too. 💖✨
You, along with all of your calendars, artwork and books are a part of every season in my home. Since the 90’s with my first calendar. Thank you. Wouldn’t ever be the same without turning the pages of a Susan Branch calendar welcoming the changes of the seasons. Making recipes from the cookbooks too!
Susan,Thank you! For a beutiful warm and post. You made my day. Love the song and you outfit. Old skirts are wonderful. The quilt is beatiful. I’m off to my oncoloy appointment, I’ll be carrying warm thought with me.
Thank you so much!
Dear Susan,
There is no one who writes so well as you for sights, smells, breezes, magical memories… as you do!!!
To have a quilt would be THE best thing to curl up under and read!!! Even in the dead of winter outside here in Virginia!!! God Bless you there on Christmas Island in this wonderful historic home….. adding to all the memories and laughter in its history!!! Xox
I always enjoy your cheery Willards and especially love seeing how you decorate. Have you ever considered doing a book: Home decorating a la Susan Branch. You could have different sections for each season.
Forgot to add that I LOVE The Mistletoe Waltz! You can just imagine the ladies twirling around the dance floor, gowns swishing around them!