I have a good little, very short, Christmas Story for you! (In a minute!) But first, sweet old MUSICA! I’m looking around and it seems like these days, finding and living a fairy tale of your own making gets put on the back-burner way too much. It’s hard! We hurt for the discombooberation of the world. But it’s Christmas time. Magic time, when we remember ANYTHING is possible. The perfect time of year to renew our vows! 
💝 Giving ourselves and our beloveds that happiness at home, reminding ourselves of the faith and beauty that lives in us all, and doing all we can to lift the spirts of those around us. Reminding myself how that is done . . . all the little things, delicious food and kitchen smells from childhood, anything that sparkles, cozy blankies, socks, old movies, flannel jammies toasty-warm from the dryer, singing, extra hugs, walks in nature, quiet mornings and cups of tea. Long night’s rest . . . under the Long Night’s Moon . . .
But first, speaking of Long Night’s Moon, which we 
JUST had, and signifies, yes, the end of these short dark days!👏👏👏 On the Solstice, coming SOON, December 21st, we’re having a dinner party to celebrate the sun setting on the shortest day of the year! GOODBYE! Every day after that will get a little LONGER!! More light! What a wonderful Christmas gift!💝 And so, we segue to my traditional stocking-stuffer to help you remember to dance to the light of the moon in 2026!🎶🎵🎶
It’s 
my full-moon Bookmark, Bellisma Lunisima 💞 (“a hole in the sky, a supernatural nightlight” … 🎵 Jason Mraz), with the dates and the great Native American names for each of the full moons next year. Just click on the link, print it out, have it laminated at a UPS Store (or not), and voila!
I also have a special personal gift for one lucky person🎁 . . . we’re having a drawing! Just leave a comment at the bottom and you’ll automatically be entered into a giveaway that includes all the goodies you see below: There’s a set of two holiday notepads, a box of brass-plated Angel Chimes with candles, a signed copy of my little Home For Christmas book, two designs of my Christmas Cards, and two sets of the cards I love to use for thank you cards… because they have recipes on them!♥️ There’s a Santa dishtowel, a “Home Cooking” tea-pot plate for cookies (or to hang on your wall), and some darling Santa stickers for your cards and gifts! From me to you with LOVE!💝
I’m going to announce the winning name next week! So you get this before Christmas! It’s a lot, but we have so many good things in stock right now, I couldn’t just choose one!! In ADDITION, four more of you, my girlfriends, will receive a copy of my Home For Christmas read-aloud book, and of course, I will sign it however you like! So you can keep it, OR you can give it to a friend! 💝
And one more surprise, just ONE lucky person . . .
will receive one of the very last of our wonderful SANTA CUPS!!! For a merry merry Christmas with love from me to you!♥️
Don’t forget to leave a comment! (At the bottom of this post, you’ll see a line of tiny words and right toward the end you’ll see “Comments” … they hide it for some reason!❌⭕️)
Also, another wonderful thing . . . I am SO honored to have been recently interviewed for the new Beatrix Potter Society Blog . . . where they ask artists how they 
were inspired by the art and life of Beatrix Potter … such a good question for me.💞 I loved answering it. Hope you enjoy it too, just click the link above . . . I’m always especially happy bringing people together, to perhaps help new people to get to know Beatrix better! If you haven’t joined the Society yet, you would love it. I follow them on Instagram too. Good influences, people who have done wonderful things in their lifetimes, need to be kept alive ~ and there are a LOT of good people giving their time to keep that happening ~ the legacy of Beatrix Potter is one of them!!♥️ There is so much more to learn about Beatrix, and everything is so much more accessible these days!💝
As you know, I’ve collected lots of books about Beatrix, and read them all, and am always looking, when out and about, in used bookstores or flea markets to find my out-of-print or hard-to-find favorites to share with you in my web store!
This year’s crop includes the charming Peter Rabbit Natural Foods Cookbook Illustrated by Beatrix Potter!
I have to show you my copy, a gift, inscribed to me by a very young Girlfriend, Anna Baker.
Adorable, and a pure keeper! And the perfect example of young magic-making in a new generation ~ and I have to say, Good job MOM!💝 Beatrix AND cooking.💞 A win-win for a lifetime of giving, and receiving.
Here’s the cover . . . we have just a few of these in our web store, including the one that this one replaced! Another sweet Christmas gift.♥️
And this! Have you seen this?
It was a complete surprise when I found this large scrapbook filled with copies of Beatrix Potter’s original letters, photos, and journal entries;
showing her watercolors, her family, her books, her story, her paint box, written in her handwriting, if she had made a scrapbook, this is exactly what it would have, should have, looked like!💗 Someone did a WONDERFUL job with this.
I particularly loved how real it felt with all the three-dimensional items, her first Christmas card designs that open, a basket that you can lift the lid, an envelope containing that famous illustrated letter, for you to open, touch, unfold, and read, even a small photo book with pages to turn ~ all set in the English Countryside. It must have cost a fortune to publish this book. I would LOVE to know who DOES things like this these days!!! It’s really so beautiful.
And the secret part, the coup de grace . . . the most amazing thing, on the inside back of the cover is a hidden door that opens, easy to miss and a complete surprise. Waiting inside is a copy of her first book! So in case you find this book in a store, look closely, before you buy it, be sure to see if the little book is still there. (All my copies in our web store DO have the little books, just in cases!) It is HERE!
We also have a few copies of this totally charming old book . . .
. . . the first, most wonderful biography I read about Beatrix, that led me to so much more, when I discovered she was truly
I’ve shown you this book before ~ it has several of Beatrix’s line drawings in it, printed from the illustrated letter she wrote for the child of a friend . . .
I turned the page to this and I heard my book say, “It’s okay, you can paint in me” . . . which of course I did . . . Like a little coloring book! How fun to paint that little blue jacket!!!
All three of these books are in our web store!💝 If you love them, be your own Santa, and put one under the tree for YOU. We also have some of her wonderful figurines . . . AND our jigsaw puzzle! Back in stock just for this Christmas!
This is my stack of her little bunny books, waiting to be packed up to be brought to their new home in California, where they have been very happy on my “Heroes” shelf, where they sit imparting inspirational DNA while I do my 2027 calendars and update my Christmas Book with new art and recipes!♥️
So here is my little Christmas Fairy Tale . . .
As you know last year we moved across the country into a very old 1970s double-wide. It isn’t nearly as large as our old house, but we’d been wanting to downsize, and it was perfect for that! It had an open plan with lots of windows, and oddly, one entire WALL of mirrors, which 
normally I might not have liked, but it brought in a TON of light from the wall of windows on the other side of the room, which in turn brought in the garden, so it didn’t take long before I learned to love it a lot. Below, you can see the mirrored wall, it’s in the dining room part of the open room . . . you can see me there, reflected, and across the room behind me, you can see two lamps and tall windows in the living area, but it’s dark outside, so they are black. Sort of get it? Part of the kitchen is also reflected in the mirror. There’s a doorway to the hall on the right.↘️
I have to admit, making magic in a very old, untouched and un-updated double-wide is more of a challenge than making magic in a 150-year-old Captain’s House (on Martha’s Vineyard, which put us way ahead on the scale of magic from the get-go). Things like plaster walls, thick decorative trim around heavy wooden doors with antique brass knobs and fittings, with a shelf over the front door for pumpkins in the fall. . . these things do 
not exist in a double-wide. If you want them, you have to figure out how to get them! But if ever a challenge is worth it, this is the one. Being that this double-wide lives in the middle of an English garden that we accidentally planted here in 2004 with no expectation of ever living here ourselves! So it’s a double-wide in tree, hedge, bird-bath, hummingbird, and blue-sky heaven. So on we go, building our world, just like we did the first time. But isn’t making a home just the most wonderful thing? Most creative job in the world!👏👏💗 Never forget:
After a lifetime of dreaming, I know this to be true.♥️
So here is another shot of that mirrored wall … because really, if you don’t know it’s there, it can get a little invisible, and what I’m about to show you can be confusing! Call this the “Before” shot.
Of course we were spoiled, our old house came with an old fireplace, all full of ancient whispers, which we loved to decorate at Christmas . . .
. . . we NEEDED a fireplace back there, for our cold and snowy New England winters. But we realized, that due to the mild weather in California, 
we didn’t need or even want a fireplace ~ it would require space! What I actually REALLY wanted, was a mantle! This came to light last Christmas, when I looked around and said, “I have no mantle to decorate! What we need is a FAKE fireplace ~ and we could put it on that mirrored wall in our “dining room! It would reflect candlelight!🕯️ It would be so cozy!” And I gently mentioned it to my darling husband, saying simply, I need a fake fireplace on yonder mirrored wall kind sir, and him replying, something to the effect of, “your wish is my command.” Anyway that’s how I remember it.💞
And so it was. He found a mantle, he found some appropriate pieces to go with it, he made other appropriate pieces, we looked at pictures of other mantles and surrounds, we looked at our old one…
Joe began cutting, glueing, and drilling . . . I never knew his drill has a flashlight in it! How handy! And just like Michelangelo cutting his masterpieces from the marble, just like THAT, our mantle started taking shape.♥️
We just guessed what height to make it ~ the side boards for the surround, are leaning against the mirror to give us some idea of what it would be like… I really loved the fireplace I saw in one of the rooms of Jane Austen’s house in Chawton in the UK . . . narrow, tallish, simple, plain. All it needs is boughs of holly!
This is it, it’s in a tiny room.
But maybe ours would have more substantial mantle, with a sort of back splash like the one on the Vineyard. But tall and narrow… Joe put it on the floor so we could see what it looked like. I laid the sides a wee bit crooked, he straightened them and started putting it together. Pretty soon he leaned the sides against the mirror and balanced the mantle on top. I decorated it, lit the candles, went mad with delight, then undecorated it so he could he take it down. He added an apron, put it back up, balanced it again, I decorated it again, went mad, he took it down, added a tiny shelf at bottom of the apron … etc, three times . . . until we had it all! He glued and screwed it together, and stapled a piece of black velvet on the back. And once again, I decorated it!
And voila! here it is! It’s screwed to the wall ~ now permanent, staying forever ~ here Joe is doing the 
last bits, adding a hook for the other stocking, wearing appropriate head gear. “This is ridiculous,” I exclaimed, laughing out loud every time I looked at it.
I continued laughing while taking a thousand photos, so adorable. I could barely believe the transformation!
I had a mantle! I couldn’t wait to show it to you!!
It takes up no space, is 56″ tall to the top of the back splash; the mantle is 48″ wide and 9″ deep ~ and it changed everything. It even created a sort of natural space on the left where we could tuck in a tree. I’d already purchased a small one because I thought it might have to go on the table (it’s up on a plant stand now), but next year, it’s clear there’s space to have a full-height (but skinny) Christmas tree in the corner!! This fireplace is rocking my world! I love it so much.💫💫💫
Voila, the “after” picture! And now I have this little corner I can decorate for the seasons ~ there’s a place for pumpkins, candles, bunnies and chicks for Easter, for photos, flowers, books, banners, a lamp, or even a birthday cake! We get to have dinner parties in front of the fireplace!♥️ See that little card on the apron of the fireplace? Joe added a tiny narrow shelf (like we had on Martha’s Vineyard). I can PUT things there! And I now have a place where, if I want, I could have fireside chats on Instagram! Or read a story! That is why I would have to call this a Fairy Tale. Because like my mother told me, you can have anything you want, as long as you make it yourself can get your husband to make it for you! Proof positive:
PS, an addendum. After Joe finished his brilliant masterpiece, I went looking on line to see if perhaps others had had this same idea, a fireplace with no fire… a faux fireplace to add extra coziness and charm to a small room. In case my Girlfriends were thinking how fun this would be but have no Joe, I wondered if maybe it would be possible to BUY one that didn’t cost an arm and a leg. Because you know, if you dream it you can make it so! I was surprised, shocked maybe, there are so many choices! Little ones, big ones, simple and fancy, whatever your heart desires!♥️ Mas MUSICA? Oui!
Look at this one, clean, elegant, free-standing, and only $150, voila! If I only knew! Ha! well, there you go! I’m so used to asking Joe, I forget that there are other ways to go about this! I love his best of course!♥️ This mantle is even a half-inch deeper than mine… there are photos of it in a living room scene when you go to their site. . . but if this isn’t your cup of tea, there of tons of other ones to choose from ~ some of them are electric and even include the fire!🔥 This world!💝
Speaking of this enchanted world, this wonderful magical outrageously beautiful world that we, the human race, positively do not deserve but are unendingly grateful for, I thought you would like to see what a California Christmas looks like!
XXXXX
Yup, no snow. And I do miss that thrilling first snow of the season! But the only white you see here are the drifts of sweet alyssum that springs up everywhere in the cool weather.
XXXXX
The breeze you’re hearing comes down our valley from the Pacific ocean, alyssum fragrance floats in the air, the sun comes out almost every day, shining golden light and long shadows on my daily walk, and the silk trees flower in pink! A total blessing for light deprived person, I put my face up to drink in the sunshine.
But we absolutely DO have winter, it’s freezing at night (40s!!!), sweater weather, for sure ~ even fingerless gloves sometimes ~ and flannel jammies of course, it’s even cold enough for me to put my grandma’s nap blanket on the bed! Extremely cozy! It just probably won’t snow.🤭
Instead, check this out!
It’s a jasmine vine that found this chair on our front deck and is making a home there! I know I’m going to be sorry I let it go! It’ll probably take hours to get it all out! But it’s actually so pretty, and . . . think . . .
. . . what it’s going to feel like to sit in this chair loaded with light pink jasmine, and just rock and smell the flowers!🌸🌸🌸 So, for a possible future moment’s pure delight, here I am waiting for it to bloom, as each day the vine gets more deeply entrenched. I’ll let you know how it goes!
Jack is sending you all his kitty LOVE!😻 So, off we go, onward and upward.Company coming today! Going to Farmer’s Market tomorrow. Need some local honey🍯, and definitely want to see what the farmers are doing for Christmas!🪴 Merry, Merry darling people. Get out into nature if you can, take lots of deep breaths, and stay hydrated!♥️
Don’t forget to leave a comment for the drawing! You can sit in front of your fireplace and read everyone a story of Christmas long ago! “Home for Christmas!”
Merry Christmas, Susan! Always love these letters. Been following you for years and decorated my daughter’s room with Beatrix Potter books and figurines 45 years ago. The figurines are with me all through my house. Wishing you a wonderful holiday season!
Love the mantle and fireplace. Displaying our favorite things is a great way to celebrate the various holidays. My display is all of my snowmen that I have collected through the years. They make me smile when I see them. Merry Christmas and a happy 2026.
Love your Williards, I was lucky enough to visit Beatrix Potter’s home too on a trip to England, Please keep sharing your photos and thoughts.
Happy Yule, Susan!
Your enthusiasm and enjoyment of all things Christmas is infectious, and from
the sweet alyssum “snow”in your yard to the new mantle in your home, you and Joe have truly been blooming where you’re planted!
Gladys Taber said” A house with no fireplace is a house without a heart”, but you’ve put heart into yours, just as your newsy updates help sustain your
readers! From Jasmine to Jack, mirrors to mantles, Beatryx Potter to
gifting bookmarks, treasure trove give-aways, and so much more!
Thank you for being so generous with photos and videos, and sharing your thoughts and talents! Blessing to you for the Holidays!
Merry Christmas, Susan! I love all your Beatrix Potter books. Such a good collection!
You have also inspired me to get a fake fire place in our new/old 1919 house, that weirdly does not have one, but is crying out for one!
YAY! Good for you! xoxo
I get so excited when I see the email, “Surprise! It’s time for another Willard!”.
I love all things Susan Branch. The Over the Moon bookmark is going to be a hit with my 4 granddaughters. I always tell that when they see the moon I’m thinking of them! Thank you for this freebie!
Your Christmas inspiration is my absolute favorite. In the 1980’s I “babysat” a darling gift shop while owner was at market. She introduced me to yoU! My very first purchase was your Christmas book….and we were off to a new adventure! Thank you for sharing your talent, creativity, gardening, decorating, poetry, writings, and art with us so freely.
Thank you, Susan, for a joyous Willard once again. So fun to create holiday magic!
This year one of my grandsons and a friend put up “professional lights” on my house. Free and very handsome looking. But, shhh don’t tell him, I must confess, I think I like the homespun look of doing it ourselves. It’s the thought that counts most of all.
I love, love, love your mantle. We’ve lived in houses with real fireplaces and fake ones. I have used fairy lights and timer flameless candles to make it more festive.
Your new mantle is wonderful and just perfect. Enjoy it.
Thanks for sharing your garden. I love the pictures and videos year round.
🎄Merriest of Christmases to you and to Joe.🎄 Love you. 💗
I’m going to try this again…I thought I commented yesterday, but with my brain who knows what I punched.
So forgive me if this is a repeat…I LOVE your Willard!! When I open my email and see one I refill my cup of coffee and settle in for complete happiness. Complete sunshine!!
I love your quotes and sayings…ever since I was in college I write down things I hear or read and one day I’ll organize them by topic or maybe just leave them haphazzardly in my notebooks.
I recently discovered my oldest granddaughter has started doing the same thing and in cleaning my mom’s house out found an old soft black leather notebook full of type written and handwritten sayings from my grandma. For Christmas I’m gifting my copy of your Gratitude book to my granddaughter…hopefully keep the tradition going.
Wishing You and your JOE a blessed Merry Christmas!!
I love, love, love your fireplace! Perfect idea from you and perfect workmanship from Joe. A house NEEDS a mantle and now you have one. When we moved into our New England home many years ago, one reason we bought it was the floor to ceiling fieldstone fireplace, stones right out of the garden (and the stones just keep coming:) by the way). But there was no mantle. Crazy. I went right out and shopped lumber yards til I found an eight-foot rustic beam which I stained to match the fieldstone. My husband, another willing and talented helpmeet, installed it. It’s the focal point of the room, just like yours. Merry Christmas, Susan!
It’s always good to make your home your own – decorating your way and no one else’s!
Love your things but love people more!
What a beautiful mantel!! As I sit in my reading chair so comfy, watching the snow float thru the woods and hoping all critters have a warm spot in our
-15 below temperature in my Iowa village. Your lovely creative stories warmed my heart and every spot there around. What a joy to get to know you thru your writing, pictures, musica.
Blessings for the New Year!
Jayne
You guys are so creative – and handy!! I love your new fireplace!
Love the mantel! It is perfect for that space, and like you, I could not do without one. Thanks for the great bookmark too. We are having a snowy December here in Illinois, but I am loving it, as I come from California, having just left where you guys moved back to. Merry Christmas!
Merry Christmas ! How wonderful to hear from you ! Your fireplace mantle is all kinds of wonderful ! Thank for all the love & inspiration!
Merry Christmas to you!!!! Your mantel is absolutely beautiful! Loved your sentence with ‘make it yourself’ crossed out and replaced with ‘ask your husband’ ☺️. I’m always saying to mine “You know what we should do?….We as in you?…”. 🥰. You give us all so much inspiration and you are so appreciated ❤️🎄❤️
(I originally posted on the 12th and noticed there aren’t any posts with that date. 🤔 Sometimes technology has a mind of its own 😂).
Wishing you a wonderful holiday season ❣️
Loved the current Williard! All the wonderful news full of history & good cheer. Yes – I too love a mantle. When retiring & moving 400 miles from the Gulf coast where I was born & lived for over 60 years…..I found an old farmhouse on 40 acres that was twice the size of the home where I raised my 3 children. This house has a wood-burning fireplace & a mantel to decorate for all the seasons & holidays. Enjoy your wonderful creation your Joe created! As this 86 year old gives thanks to the good Lord for all my blessings – I’m wishing you, Joe & Jack a Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!
Loved your Willard at Christmas and my Santa Cup! Have to pass this along to my creative gardening grand daughter 🥰 she will be a new friend for sure💕
How I love your Willard’s! I do have the Beatrix Potter journal book with the little book in the back. So cute! Joe did a great job on your mantle! Merry Christmas dear Susan and Joe! PS I have a black and white kitty now, she found me in the back yard while I was feeding the birds!😊 We love her so much, we call her Kitty cat, our grandkids call her Oreo!
Thank you for this wonderful magic and faith filled message for us all ❤️
Happy Christmas with love ❤️🎄💚
Happy Christmas, Susan, Joe and Jack! May it be your merriest, yet! I love the jasmine vine chair. I remember a lady put an old wire bed spring outside against the wall of her home and the clematis did the same thing and wove its way around the coils of the springs. It was flowering 🌸🌸🌸 and so pretty weeks later!
~ Karen
Hi Susan, I have your First Edition “Christmas from the Heart of The Home” book. It sits out on our coffee table every year. While my husband is engrossed with a football game, I’m browsing through your beautiful Christmas book over and over. I have all your books displayed, and cherish them too!
Love your creative mantal. They are definitely fun to decorate during the holiday season. Welcome back for California and have a Merry California Christmas. Happy Holidays to all you gals out there.
Merry Christmas!
I have enjoyed your many books and calendars and Willards since a girlfriend gave me your first Christmas book so many years ago. I use your annual wall calendar to keep track of all of our activities. The Annie Hall’s Butter Cookie recipe from the original Christmas book is a holiday staple in our family! It’s such a part of our Christmas experience that my son, who is in his 20’s, asked me to send him the recipe so he could make the cookies for his friends as Christmas presents!
Thank you for all the years of quiet joy you have given to me with your kind words, love of nature and joy in humanity. I am so glad my friend gave me that first Christmas book!
I’m so happy for you Susan;) It’s so neat how that sweet fireplace surround has added such instant charming soul to the heart of your new home:)
Thank you so much for sharing about the new Beatrix potter books, I wasn’t even aware of them:) ..and thank you as always for sharing and spreading warmth and directing our thoughts back towards hope. I appreciate you so much, ~Tanya
So lovely! I live in Sandwich, on Cape Cod, we are getting our first snow tomorrow!
Pray for Peace in the New Year and for kindness and caring and taking care of those who need it.
Dear Susan,
Starting a foggy Saturday reading your wonderful blog by the twinkle lights on my Christmas tree. Pure magic! Thank you for a peek at your Merry holidays.
Merry Christmas Susan and Joe . Hope you have a wonderful holiday . I have been a fan of Beatrix Potter since my daughter was little. She just turned 43yrs. Enjoy you little fire place .
Love and Hugs , Mary Beth .🙏🏻💕🎄🎄
Seasons Greetings to you, Joe and Jack! May 2026 bring you much joy, peace and happy adventures!
Merry Christmas to you and Joe. Love the Mantle, it makes a home so cozy and inviting. Enjoy the sunshine, flowers ,the warm wrap of the season. The Willard was lovely and charming to bring the days of folly to cheer the heart.
Thanks for all the reasons we can be cheery this season. Sometimes it’s a challenge when many people are facing tough times.
I so enjoy reading your posts. You (and Joe) are gemstones in this costume jewelry world. You remind us to find joy in small things. Whether it be being enchanted with Beatrix Potter’s small children’s books or the small things we do for one another that mean so much to the recipient, we find hope in the fact there are people who are kindred spirits. Thank you for being a gem.
👏👏👏
Dear Susan, Joe’s fireplace is so wonderful!!! I’m happy for you. It’s snowing here in Cincy. Wishing a merry Christmas to you, Joe & Jack. Lovingly, Julia
A very Merry Christmas Susan & Joe!!! Even though my heart was breaking when I first read about your move, I’m so delighted to see that you were able to build another fairyland but this time in California. So different but still so enchanting! Like you always say, we have the power to create our own fairytale, especially during this magical time of the year. Now let me take a look at my fireplace and figure out how to add a mantle to it 🙂 All the Best in the New Year! <3
Miss you being on Martha’s Vineyard, but glad you are so happy back in CA! I was fortunate as a teenager in 1968 to go to London, Paris and Vichy, France on a school-sponsored field trip. I was already enamored with Beatrix Potter and, while in London, bought a child’s set of Royal Doulton Peter Rabbit dishes. I used them with my children and now with my grandchildren. Also a huge Gladys Taber fan. Always look forward to “Christmas In Connecticut” while I wrap presents.
I love your new mantle! Joe is so handy! Wishing you both a very Merry Christmas, and Jack too, of course!
Whoops ‘Jack’, Bob is our kitty.
Merry Christmas, Susan!! Thank you for sharing your world with us!
Your words paint such a glorious picture and then there are pictures and musica—so delightful thank you for sharing your spirit
Thank you Susan for this oh! so! pretty!! and informative Full Moons 2026 bookmark! Today’s blog post and your excitement filled me with joy! I thank you for that too! Merry Christmas to you, Joe, your sweet kitty(s)?, family and friends!!
It was such a joy to receive your Christmas Willard! You always manage to put me in such a happy and grateful spirit! I love Joe’s creation (fireplace mantle) for you – – better than a store-bought one. It speaks of his love for you. I’ve decorated our mantle, and will be hanging the stockings later today, thinking of you and your joy in realizing that you will now have a new place to decorate for all holidays, seasons and occasions! I wish you and Joe and Jack a very Merry Christmas, and a healthy and blessed New Year. Thank you for all the joy and inspiration you bring to my life!
I have your Christmas book and read I to my 95 year old mother who really enjoyed. Have a wonderful Christmas season.
We moved a year ago to a smaller home and it’s an adjustment. But with my Christmas decorations set up it feels more like home. I wish you a merry Christmas in your new home.
Thank You Susan for another interesting blogpost. Wishing you and yours a Blessed Christmas and a Happy, Healthy New Year.
Marion
Merry Christmas!!! Was so nice to hear from you!! Hope this finds you well and happy!!9
You are an inspiration for when the day comes for us to downsize. It’s scary but I will keep you in mind for making our new place a home.
Merry Christmas Susan, Joe, and Jack! I love that you now have a mantle! And that Joe built it makes it more valuable:) I was blessed with a husband who would make me anything I showed him a picture of. Sadly, he passed away 4 years ago. But he left me lots of his woodworking projects in the house and several of his birdhouses in the yard. They bring me lots of smiles and joy!
Here’s to a very happy New Year! XOXO
Thank you Susan. You always inspire with your good words and beautiful art and photography. Your new home is so pretty!
I am so glad to have rediscovered Susan Branch. Thank you for bringing magic in every season of this retired teacher’s life. Celebrating Christmas and all the seasons has always been a part of my life thanks to my mom who decorated for them all. Now, I feel as though I’ve found a kindred spirit who makes me see even more wonder.
Your home and garden are lovely. Merry Christmas!
Thank you for your most wonderful blog posts thru the year….i love how you make and appreciate beauty where ever you go….love your fireplace Joe made!!! Merry Christmas🎄!!
Looks like it won’t take my comment I left with my new email address so I’ll try my old one! Please enter me in your generous giveaways… love your new home and that mantel! Joe is so creative! And so good to see Jack! 😘 Merry Christmas dear Sue and Joe xo Julie Marie
Merry Christmas to you both !!
I love your art it makes me smile.
Hugs
Wendy
Receiving your Willard, Susan, is like getting a Christmas gift in my inbox! Thank you! I love seeing how you are decorating in your new abode. And I LOVE your new mantlepiece! Well done, Joe! What a clever idea to add one to your home, even if it is not on a real fireplace. A mantle is a perfect place to put out seasonal decor! Wishing you and Joe a very Merry Christmas in California!
Susan, thank you for the full moon bookmark gift! I always love these! You are so creative to think of the fireplace—love it! Merry Christmas to you, Joe, and Jack.
Wishing you a very Merry Christmas 🤶 🎄 and a Happy New Year 😊
Dear, dear Susan! Such grand timing you always have! I needed to hear about Susan and Joe today! I have given your book “Home for Christmas’ as gifts to three dear friends my age ( black and white photos from our childhoods!) , and all loved it! Beatrix Potter, OH YES! I have 7 biographies of various authors , some focusing more on her art, some her garden. Recently discovered the set of 8 books by Susan Wittig Albert called “The Tales of Beatrix Potter” with real historical events of BP’s life mixed with life as imagined by the author. I read them so fast when I first read them that I am being utterly enchanted on a second, more leisurely reading ! 🙂 Tee hee! I found only two in our library, so of course had to go to “Thriftbooks” in Seattle and get copies of the rest of the books. They make you feel like you were there with Beatrix! As for your mantel, what an amazingly great idea! And of course, yours is better than one on Amazon, yours is designed and made by Joe! Dear Jack looks so elegant, and I am assuming happy in his new digs! Merriest of Christmas to you and Joe and all your extended family! Last year I added ‘The Wexford Carol’ to our holiday, what an amazing , haunting and very old song for Christmas. Peace on Earth, we Girlfriends all hope for it! hygge, Suzette
In central Oregon, we are also with no snow this winter, and in fact, our ski resort is unable to open. 22 ” in mid-November made us all excited, but that was about it. Current snowpack is 7% of normal, gulp! Praying for SNOW for the mountains, the valleys, and the farmers! Suzette in Oregon
We need it for more reasons than one! Fingers crossed, there is still lots of time! ❌⭕️
I fell in love with you, Susan, after a friend gave me “MV Isle of Dreams” (I am your age and identified with your love of the Vineyard and kitties). I admire your talent and creativity and look forward to reading every Willard. I love everything you and Joe have done to make your new home not only cozy, but lovely, both inside your home and outside. Thank you for sharing yourselves with us and for posting a photo of Jack who I hadn’t see for a while!
Merry California Christmas!!!
Hello again, my friend. I have been away from the world a little, recovering from a dire condition. Home now, surrounded by my books and my beloved husband of 43 years. One day, totally unexpected, a friend replied to a simple request “Your every wish is my command.” It stopped me and filled me with such a warmth that I will cherish it all the rest of my days. Say the little things of cheer and support to those around you. Don’t be afraid of sounding corny or ‘un-hip’. You never know what words will fill that tiny place in someone’s life and make all the difference. You and Joe fill a special place with all us girlfriends. Thank you and Merry Merry to you all.
What beautiful wonderful advice!!! Welcome back to the world, we really do need you!💞😘
Love your new mantel, which will be fun in all seasons! And thanks for including a picture of Handsome Jack – always fun to see him! – Sheri
I think you can make any home look comfy, cozy & inviting! You have a gift being able to do that. Merry Christmas!
I very much enjoy reading about making yourself a fireplace in California. What a fun project. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
Dear Susan and Joe (and Jack),
Wishing you a Very Merry Christmas and a Happy and Healthy New Year from Portland, Maine! One of my favorite Christmas decorations to use every year is the little cut out village I purchased from your store a few years ago. I always think of you and it makes me smile when I unfold it and put it out! You spread a lot of happiness in this world of ours! Thank you for being you!
I have been thinking of you this past week and wondering what kind of Christmas Magic you are cooking up in California this year ! I am still in New England, Southern Maine and Baby it’s cold outside !! It is very Christmasy though with all the snow ! I love your mantle ! I have a fireplace in my gathering room but wanted one in my snug. I found an old antique one from an old New England home and now I have both ! One for the actual fire and one for ambience. Love to you and thank you for the gift of YOU !! sara xxoo
Susan….it is SOOOOO good to hear from you! You are making your Christmas dreams come true….with Joe’s help. You seem to be settling in with your monumentous move to a totally different part of the US. I love your mantle…lovely for Christmas. Can’t wait to see what you do for other holidays and different seasons. May you and Joe and Jack have a wonderful Christmas. Looking forward to seeing your Winter Solstice dinner party….please share details and photos. And hoping to “see” you more often in the new year…hint! Hint!!
Love, Rachel
Rachel, old friend, so nice to see you here. Blessings on you and yours, thank you for keeping up with me through the years with your lovely thoughtful cards!You know I love them, I just need more hours in the day! I always MEAN to send a thank you note, but clearly I’m not getting there! My heart is in the right place!❌⭕️ THANK YOU!!!🥰♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️
Susan, each sharing you make is a breath of fresh air, dreamland, creativity and magic. Your simplistic observations make possibilities come to life. Your new mantle is perfectly fitting for your new space, and it’s just the touch needed to add a sense of personalization that says “home.”
Wishing you, Joe and Jack a meaningful, Merry Christmas as you discover the sameness of this special time of year wherever your roots are planted.
Considering the many possibilities in 2026!
Thank you for another year of beauty in words & pictures.
Merry Christmas 🎄♥️
Your “Willard” is always such a joy to read! I’m in Montana, so it is lovely to see your video of wild alyssum blooming in the winter. Our bees love it and I can almost “smell” your picture! Every December, I pull out my treasured copy of your Christmas from the Heart of the Home, which I discovered at a local bookshop many years ago. It’s like visiting an old friend. Thank you for sharing stories of your life and travels with all of us! You are an inspiration and a treasure.
Merry, merry Christmas to all your family!!!
Merry Christmas! I’m enjoying a beautiful snow.
Merry Christmas, Susan & Joe, Such inspiring, creative people!!! I love your blog, love your fireplace mantel, love love love your Full Moon bookmarks for stocking stuffers, thank you!!! I love your new home and how you’ve made it your own, full of memories and treasures that bring you JOY! Much needed in this crazy, stressful time with the world as it is. Many thanks for bring JOY and Happiness to me. XOXO Judi
Thank you for bringing joy to all of us–your letters are always so delightful. Merry Christmas to you!
Your mantel is beautiful. Joe did a wonderful job. I was born and raised in Florida but my childhood home had a fireplace and mantel and so has every home I’ve lived in since. It’s the cozy focal point of a home. Merry Christmas and a blessed New Year to you and Joe,
Thought I had posted yesterday, but anyway….Your Willard brings joy whenever it arrives. Love the fireplace, your Joe is very clever. Does Jack enjoy sitting in front of the “fire”.?
Congrats on the Potter interview.
Susan
You probably DID post yesterday … but the problem is so did about a thousand other people!😂 I am reading and loving the comments and “moderating” (weeding out spam that sneaks in) and I’m slow, but I’m getting there, and love to hear from you!❌⭕️
Lovely post as always! All the best of the season.
I love your idea for a fireplace mantle! We live in a little California ranch that I love, but it doesn’t have (or really need) a fireplace – it’s one major flaw! Suddenly, I’m looking around and trying to decide where we can put one.
I always enjoy reading your posts!
😂😂😂 The finishing touch!
Thanks to you and Joe, I think I will do some decorating today and hope that the Christmas spirit shows up! Your words are always uplifting. Wishing you, Joe,Jack, and the barn kitties a blessed Christmas 🌲
Merry Christmas to both of you and Jack too! Thank you for your beautiful stories!
It’s all so very lovely and I am encouraged to grow older by your enthusiasm, Susan! Despite a big move and so much change, you are Happy!
Loved the fireplace mantel! You really needed that . . . so good to hear from you! Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all!
It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas! You two have a special talent for making a house a home and I love the new mantel! One can never have too many ledges and nooks for holding treasured memories and new creative goodies. Best of health to you and yours for the remaining days of 2025 and on to the New Year!
I would like to be entered in the giveaway please thank you Merry Christmas!
I appreciate the full moon bookmark! Also, love your artwork in general. I’m a big fan of your wall calendar, which I purchase every year! Merry Christmas!7
Loved seeing Jack in this Willard. That Joe, what a guy! You two were so meant for each other.
I love your improvised fireplace! In our retirement home we bought there is no space for even that but we do have an electric fireplace in the grandchildren’s space in the basement and I found the cutest little electric stove for our living room with heat when we want it and flames flickering in the window if we just want that effect,,,so cozy.
Perfect!♥️
I so needed this today Susan! This is my first Christmas without my Mom…you always bring comfort and reminders of the moments we have to treasure. Thank you for your beautiful simplicity of homemaking, and the joy it all so easily brings. Sending you warm wishes from Massachusetts! Merry Christmas!
Thank you for always bringing the magic, no matter where or when you are writing! That Joe is truly a keeper too, always at the ready to build a dream or two. And now you have a cozy fireplace mantle to feature your lovely seasonal treasures all year round. Beatrix Potter is smiling down on you right now!
Wishing you, Joe, and the adorable Jack a very sweet, merry and joyful Christmas and wonderful New Year.
What a lovely post! I look forward to my Willards. Thank you and Merry Christmas, Susan.
Dearest Susan,
Your Willard’s are just so interesting, caring, picturesque, and full of JOY!!!
Sharing your life with all of us is deeply appreciated.
Love the fireplace and hope that you and Joe and Jack have a wonderful Holiday Season.
Merry Christmas dear Susan.
Your Willard brought me feelings of comfort & joy!
Lisa (Ivory from Vromans)
LISA! I am so happy Vromans Lives!!! My Grandma shopped there all the time, so I am your anchor baby forever.💞 And for every other reason too. So nice to hear from you!❌⭕️❌⭕️
Dear Susan and Joe,
Merry Christmas to you adorable creative couple. Have a joyful new year with your home back East filled with new life. Susan, you need to paint SOLD and frame it for the Man Made Joe Style Mantel.
Shoot a rubber band for Jack for me,
Julie
Hope you and Joe have a very Happy and Merry Christmas. Please tell Joe he did a great job
on the fireplace it looks great like it was alway there.
Merry Christmas to you and Joe,
Your blog posts always come at the perfect time. The weight of the world can be a bit much and with a cup of tea in hand, I sit and soak in your beautiful art and words which bring me joy. As I read and slowly scrolled to your stack of Beatrice Potter books, I smiled. I have the same stack, and two of them are particularly special, the one “Tale of Mr. Tod.” We named our son Tod and spelled it the same way. As a child he loved that book so much as it had his name and the same spelling.
Thank you for bringing joy to my day. I hope you and Joe have a beautiful Christmas and may the New Year bring you many blessings. I have already put my bookmark on the bulletin board in front of my desk, and my 2026 desk blotter calendar is ready to go too.
Hats off to Joe, your new little fireplace is absolutely perfect. I understand why you love it so much.
Warm holiday wishes,
Terri
Merry Christmas, Susan! Love me some mantel!!
Merriest Christmas !! One can have joy no matter where one lives whether in the snow or sunshine and can celebrate the joy of the season no matter where we live – I grew up in Eastern New Mexico with little snow and moved to Michigan with a great deal of snow ! I love the holidays – special times ! And your narrow mantel is a great gift to you and such a neat addition to your home!! Bravo! For the design!! The very best solution!! 🎄🎄🎄
Focusing on family and friends is the best way to spend the holidays. Making our own world a place of peace and calm. Love your fireplace,
I’m always smiling when I read Willard because of your energetic love of things wonderful and beautiful that you share with your friends. Thank you for giving me the lift I needed to love what I make in my home and how important it is to share that love. Merry Christmas!!
Dianne
I loved sharing your full moon bookmark with a dear friend every year. She passed away this year, and it is a sweet memory seeing the bookmark again and thinking of her. Thank you! And thank you for the Christmas decorating inspiration. Christmas blessings to you and your family.
I save your posts for a cozy cup of tea!
Joe did a great job on the mantle. It is absolutely gorgeous. Love all the decorations you’ve put out. I enjoyed this month’s Willard very much. Your website is a feast for my visual senses. So creative and stimulating. Merry Christmas to you and Joe. May you receive many unexpected blessings!
You find ways in every Williard that makes me thrilled to be a part of this wonderful group of ladies! I am so happy when I see your name in my email lists. We have had our fill of snow here in Illinois but your Williards brighten my world. Thank You!