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!
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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.
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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 Darling Susan, to you and Santa Joe. The fireplace is brilliant. Wishing you cozy nights of bliss and many blessings in the year ahead! Love, Karen
I so love your website AND all of your artistic products. I have to have your wall & “pocket” calendars EVERY year!
Thank you Susan for the new Willard. Always a delight. And your fireplace mantle is fabulous!!
I was so happy to see my Willard today! Blessed beyond measure reading through it. Much love to you and Joe this Christmas season! XO, Willa
Merry Christmas, Susan and Joe!
Beautiful artwork as usual! I wish I could afford some of your products. Merry Christmas!
Merry Christmas to all from up the road from Susan and Joe, in sunny Cayucos! Love what you have done to decorate your home for the holidays!
Yes, we all are sprinkled with magical, mystical stardust, especially at this time of the year, so we remember that we all, all on this planet, are from the stars.
Throughout the years, Susan, no matter what season on the calendar or in our times of life, you have shared with us, reminding us of the magic, joy, contentment, wonder, and amazement of embracing life with openness and creativity and a sense of fun. Thank you.
Love your new mantle and the perfect placement against the mirror. Wishing you both a wonderful Christmas season.
Lovely festive Willard! The fireplace looks wonderful 💗
Lovely Christmas Willard. Great fun to read about all the collectibles you have available.
Please enter me in the drawing. And, I have always had a mantle and love them. Such fun to decorate. You’ll have to be sure to n post pics of each holiday’s decoration.
(I’m local. You won’t have to ship should I am the lucky recipient!)
♥️
MERRY CHRISTMAS! Always festive and beautiful at your home! Drawing gifts galore and Ohhh..the Angel Chimes!!!
So happy to join in your world once again.
Love the mantle and the fireplace.
The mirror wall was confusing in the pics, but how fun!
Christmas is just around the corner. I hope yours is truly merry !
A handy husband is a treasure! I have one of those as well – my husband Brian. Very handy and very tall – 6’6”, which is also handy in many ways! Love the fireplace – well done Joe! Happy Christmas to you and Joe, Susan!
What a delight – the charming give-away items and the wonderful story of the fireplace mantle. What a treasure your Joe is. A joyous and peace-filled Christmas to you both!
Congratulations, thank you for a chance to win *scream!* And, I love your new fireplace and mantle!! What a dream come true foe you!!
I love the fireplace! The small lower shelf is perfect! Downsizing can be difficult but you have made it work for you and I enjoy reading about your ways of making things cozy! I hope you and Joe have a very Merry Christmas filled with family and friends!
Thank you for your beautiful bookmark! Love your new mantle!
So happy to read your post. I have been anxiously waiting for your Christmas Willard.
Thank you for all the inspiration. Having lived in England for four years. The seventies, I learned to appreciate Beatrix Potter. I’ll be checking the books you listed.
Have a wonderful Christmas!
Your kindred friend, Mary Barth
Thanks so much for the fun newsletter full of things that make me smile.
Thank you for the Christmas 2026 Willard!
We are celebrating the first wedding of the next generation of Susan Branch fans and of course the recent bridal shower included the Susan Branch wall calendar and the 30th anniversary cookbook as gifts.. All of the “aunties’” kitchens have had the Susan Branch calendar on the wall and the Christmas cookbook on the counter for baking complete with stains and folded pages from all of the cookie exchanges and holiday guests we have spoiled. We will be at Mission San Diego for the pre-Christmas wedding!
Thank you sharing your magic with our family for three decades! We will continue to cook, bake and decorate with your magical inspiration including st the newly married couple’s home in the new year!
Thank you so much for the bookmark. I make it and incorporate it into my journal.
Thank you for the reminder of all that is good in this magical season! Too easy to get caught up in the cares of the world.
What a fantastic Willard! I too have had so much happen in life lately! Same as you and Joe. We downsized from our two-story home of 35 years to a brand new single story home. We sold our home in a day, and had to be out in one month! Sheesh! That was work!! My sister came from Oregon for 4 days to help me pack (and part with) my treasures. I had to give away so many things. I am slowly going through my Christmas decorations, and have found the same as you, I have no mantel or library shelves to place these treasures on. My husband is handy, as Joe is, but he is going to be tasked with an inside pantry door spice rack first off. We have just been moved in here for two months. We did host 12 here for Thanksgiving, which was wonderful. Looking forward to our first Christmas in our new home too! I always love your newsletters. I connect easily, as our daughter lives in England, and we have visited many times. She married a Brit in 2016, and there they stay, and we have two little grandchildren there now. So I always love reading what you have to share. Thank you Susan:)
Oh my, what wonderful gifty gifts! How luvlee your new home in CA is becoming. I sure do enjoy your Willards, and thank you for each one. Have a very Merry Christmas!
Hi Susan! I be absolutely love your new mantle!
When I taught elementary school I created a cozy corner for my students . It had 2 wing back chairs, and an electric fireplace with a perfect mantle to decorate for all the holidays and seasons! My student loved this amazing special space where they could read their favorite books! Your mantle is perfect! ❤️
Happy Christmas to you and Joe. Yes special books are being made by small
British publishers,special editions,independent book seller editions. The British library,Slightly foxed,Little Brown,Persephone publishers just to mention a few.England- with a long history of valuing quality books over profit-what a concept.
I love the Christmas magic of your Joe-made fireplace. He’s brilliant. And I love your decorating of it for Christmas and your ideas for future holidays. We are lucky to have a fireplace in our Wisconsin home that I love decorating, too.
Beatrix, quilts, watercolor art, your beautiful calendars that I buy every year – these are just a few of my favorite things! And we share them in common, go figure. Always a girlfriend from Idaho and have been a huge fan for as long as your first book was published! Love you, Susan Branch. You have made my life joyful♥️
beautiful!
Thank you Susan for this post and for our annual Full Moon bookmark. I love them so much. You are the best. Paula
Thank you Susan for this post and for our annual Full Moon bookmark. I love them so much. You are the best.
Thank you for all this charm!
Love your mantle so much!!! So glad you dreamed it and now have it!
I think of all the wonderful things you have written this one makes me the most happy~~~~ That you not only got your darling fireplace but that your sweet Joe made it for you <3 ~~~
It is so enjoyable to have a cup of coffee andread your blog. Like havi g a friend in for a visit.
I love the new mantle!
So sweet and fun! Bbq
When my husband of 38years passed away 4 years ago. a friend of mine brought over a book she said I needed to read. So Isle of Dreams and Susan Branch came into my life. Every day I sat down with my coffee or tea and read about your own desire to escape the pain of your broken heart and slowly my own grief subsided little by little…page by page. Your book gave me strength to realize that even though you go through adversity in life there can be a lot of sunshine on the other side. Thank you for all your books, words of wisdom and this wonderful blog. See you on your book tour in San Luis Obispo; xoxo
Your words make me so happy! That is exactly why I wrote that book! I didn’t know how to do it, and I assumed lots of other people didn’t either. Sharing our experiences somehow makes it better. We’re in it together! Thank you Kristin!❌⭕️💞
Susan i have been reading and following you for years! Lucky me!1
I always look so forward to your Willards! My mother was a war bride from England and so I grew up loving all things British! I do miss your stories from the island but life moves on and changes to happen . Your gifts are truly so generous and I would be over the moon to win any of them ! Blessed Christmas coming soon !
I LOVE the Mantel!!! How absolutely lovely! Joe is so amazing to be able to make this for your lovely home! Love all your books and items in your shop!
Have a very wonderful Merry Christmas in California!!
from a fellow Beatrix Potter – Peter Rabbit fan,
and fan of YOURS,
Venicia 🙂 xoxo
What a happy day it is when I see that a new Willard has been posted! And it often comes just when it is needed most, which has to be magic!
I love your Willards!! It makes my day to find a Willard in my emails!!
Merry Christmas to Susan and Joe!!
What magic the fireplace mantle makes!! Great going!! Eat, drink and be merry!! Hugs from Peggy in Madison Wi.
Merry Merry Christmas! And thank you so much for sharing your joy! It makes my heart happy 😊
Merry Christmas to you, Joe and animal family. You have certainly added sparkle to my holiday season with this latest Willard! So rewarding to add beauty to one’s home – bravo to Joe with his mantle creation. Also, you and I have similar taste, so shopping for gifts at your store made my gift buying much easier. (The dish towel that says, “I’m sorry for what I said when I was hungry” cracked me up- I had to have it!) One last comment – I love your Christmas Memories book which I received as a Christmas gift in 2023. Looking back on previous years’ entries is now a seasonal treat! Have a happy & healthy New Year!
All so beautiful! I love my Santa mug and use it year round. It’s an instant joy in the morning.
I love this post and am amazed at the creativity to make such a mantle. I love ours and decorate it different ways all year long. I, too, live in a double wide manufactured home, which we remodeled before we moved in. I am grateful for our cozy home. May you and Joe (and Jack, too) experience a joyful Christmas.
Susan, thank you for a wonderful Willard!! And to have part of it be about Beatrix Potter. . . I just finished reading “Beatrix Potter A Life In Nature” by Linda Lear. This book takes commitment, but I loved every page of it. I wanted to wish you, Joe, Jack and the barn kitties a very Merry Christmas!! Your new Joe-made mantle is lovely as is all of your decorating. So glad you are happy in California!!!
That was my very favorite of all the biographies. Loved the detail! I’m glad you did too!❌⭕️
THANK YOU for the Willard post and a reminder to find contentment in every circumstance
Thank you for the much needed Willard – it really brighted my discombooberation world! I was feeling a bit dispirited but now
I feel inspired to make Christmas happen in my home, too
Merry Christmas to all!
Love the mantle. Merry Christmas Sue and Joe
Thank you Susan and Joe for inspiring me to decorate my mantle this week and thank you for spreading joy! Merry Christmas!
Love the magic of the season and the magic you always bring along with anything you write and create🥰Wishing you and Dear Joe the happiest of holidays! The mantle is amazing and will be grand to decorate for all celebrations!♥️🤩🥳
You spoke so highly of Beatrix Potter’s house in the UK that we made of point of visiting there just this summer. I was thrilled to be able to go and visit and see her home. They had just finished refurbishing a little doll house that i think was the inspiration for some of her books. Such a charming place! Happy Holidays!
Absolutely love the mantel! We changed our mantel to use a beam from an old barn and I love to decorate it for the seasons and holidays. Makes my heart happy. So glad to hear that you are enjoying California. Happy Holidays Susan!!!
Best,
Jonna
Susan, I met you once at Tattered Books in Denver with my daughter & young granddaughter. I walked by your house on Martha’s Vineyard one day since a “local” told us you & his mom were great buddies, so he directed us to the location of your house. I have been inspired by all that you post and share on your blog.for many years. I guess I can say I feel like we are old friends. Thanks SO MUCH for all your inspiration!
Sincerely, cathee nielsen
Old Friends . . . thank you Cathee!🎁
I see Sweet Joe standing in the kitchen in the mirror. Great job on the mantle, Joe!!
Dear Susan,
Merry Christmas to you and Joe. Thank you for your inspiring messages in these trying times.
You truly are the best!
Hope you both have a delightful Christmas. Such a clever and handyman, that Joe is, and how lucky you are to have him in your life.
Every time I read a Willard, I rush through it because I am so excited and want to know what’s going on . Then, I read it again, sloooowly, taking in more than the first time. Thank you Susan for all these years bringing such joy .❤️
I just love reading your Willards! I’ve been following you since the days when they were mailed via the US Postal Service. I always feel like I am reading a letter from a cherished friend…and although we met just once at a book signing, I do feel like you ARE a cherished friend! Your words are always full of good cheer and inspiration. So thank you for sharing your life with us. That mantle that Joe is simply fabulous! What a creative couple you are! Thank you for brightening my days! Merry Christmas to you and Joe!
You make me smile, and it’s good to smile when you have taken your son for his last brain radiation treatment and you are celebrating in your heart.
What magic you & Joe created. The fireplace adds so much gemulikite (German word = excellent taste). The Willard is a source of joy to read of upbeat small things to bring happiness to my soul
Thank you for this delightful Willard. Heartwarming as usual. I appreciate how you inspire me. Merry Christmas Susan. MarySue 🌵
I love your mantel! We once lived in a 150 year old house with 9 mantels remaining after fireplaces had been closed off!!!! It was still fun to decorate!
Everybody needs a mantle, fireplace or not! Yours makes that mirrored wall stand back so the mantle and what it holds, comes to the forefront and gives the mirrors something to be brag about! I have an old mantle I bought from a neighbor who had it in her garage, gathering dust. It now serves as the headboard to our bed, at our son’s suggestion. Our kitty likes perching on it too!😻
The fireplace mantel is lovely, Susan. You have it decorated in the style I’ve come to know and love as uniquely yours. I love how much you love Beatrix Potter. You make me want to read all about her. I loved it when you said, “The me she makes me want to be”. That is how I feel when I look at the things you’ve created. You are a bright and shining light in the darkness. I hope you and Joe have a very merry Christmas. 🎄🎁
LOVE everything you do! Would love to be entered into your drawing. I’ve been buying your beautiful artwork for many years! Merry Christmas!
I truly enjoy your books. I love the seasonal books. The updated autumn book was almost like a new book. I’m so excited for your updated Christmas book next year!
I always enjoy receiving and reading your Willards. Thank you for sharing your life with all of us. Anne
Thank you for keeping us on the right side of magic! Joe’s mantle is absolutely adorable and makes the space so cozy. What an incredible idea. And thank you for the mantle link. I just so happen to be in need of one!
What an uplifting treat you are to all your readers and fans! I’ve been a fan for decades and now my 31 yr old daughter got me hooked up to your newsletter. She has happy childhood memories of cooking from your cookbook, that my sister gave me as a birthday present in the early 90’s! Love, love, love the fireplace idea! How dang cozy is that and how dang cute is Joe? Thanks for all the happy memories and continuing fun and inspiration!
Thanks for your cheery note. 🎵 It is so nice to have some fun, positive news, such as your new fireplace, arrive in my Inbox . We are expecting a blizzardy day tomorrow. Perfect to hunker down and stay cozy.
Merry Christmas to all.
Hello Susan, First off, welcome back to sunny California! I live down south in Orange County. I can’t tell you how much I have enjoyed your Willards for years now and I have one of my sisters a fan too. I also love your many books like The Heart of the Home, A Fine Romance (bought my sister this one too and she loved it!). Everything you do just brings happiness and laughter to peoples lives, which we need in this world right now. I also love all of your illustrations, they are so whimsical, and just so much fun! So thank you, thank you, thank you for just being you and bringing happiness to others. We are so lucky to have you in our lives. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! 🎄 🥂💝
Thank you for your wonderful newsletter and lovely holiday inspirations.
Dear Susan…
So nice to get an unexpected Christmas Willard!
I too have a handy husband that is good at everything.
He & Joe would get along famously!
May your Christmas be merry & your New Year filled with
Gods richest blessings! ♥️
Loved seeing your new Christmasy home, Susan. Love your new mantle and what I love even more is that you provided a link to order one. That is a very thoughtful thing to share. I always love ordering your mini wall calendar every year. Reading Willard always makes me happy! Merry Christmas to you and Joe and Jack!
I love the way you mingle words and art. Thank you! And a very merry Christmas to you and all you love.
Dear Susan, I so enjoyed this holiday “Willard”! I love Beatrix Potter and I love you Susan Branch for sharing all of your wonderful ideas, stories, quotes, recipes with us Girlfriends! I had been thinking of you lately and wondering what you had been up to. Now we know! I love the faux mantle. I think I would like to have a faux fire in it. I have a small black fireplace that I have often thought would look sweet with a surround, as they call them in the UK. Something that I could move around though because I do move the fireplace around our living room. It is front and center during the holidays and I love to turn it on so it just has the flames as it does have a heater in it too, which I don’t use the heater. What I love is to have all the lights off and just the Christmas tree lit and the little fireplace, such a cozy feeling. So I do understand your need for the fireplace mantle! I enjoy taking things and making them into something else, you are so lucky to have a hubby that is willing to see your vision and help you see your dreams. And hey, as the saying goes, “If there is a Will there is a Way!”
I wish you and Joe and the kitties all a very Merry Christmas and a happy, healthy, peaceful New Year!
Your Joe is a clever fellow and reminds me of my own husband who also builds me things like shelves and tables. The fireplace is wonderful. Mantels are the perfect surfaces for seasonal decorating.
The giveaway is a lovely one. Thank you for your generosity. Merry Christmas, Susan!
Winning isn’t everything, but I’d feel like a real winner, should I win !
I SO enjoy reading the Willard. Having been born in Massachusetts and raised primarily in Upstate New York, but now living in San Diego for over 40 years, it brings back so many childhood memories. Your writing, artwork and photos are wonderful to see and I love the personal sharing of the stories of your life. Happy holidays to you and Joe!!
Bravo Joe! And Brava to You, Susan for the brilliant envisioning. It looks so fabulous! Wish you and yours a very Merry Christmas and also a heartfelt thank you for all the joy you spread all throughout the year. It’s truly a delight for me and so so many. ❤️❤️❤️🎄🎄🎄
Thank you , thank you…
I am a 66 year old woman ,living in the Netherlands.
And the world we are living in nowadays is so dark and frightening.
But your ‘willard’ gave me comfort and a little hope, thank you for that
I know it’s not just us, we who wish to live in a world of kindness and love … this period of history is very difficult. But I just keep saying, this too shall pass, and then PRAY! I’m so glad to get to hear from you Ada! Let good be the winner in all of this! Stay strong!♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️
Bravo Joe! And Brava to You, Susan for the brilliant envisioning. It looks so fabulous! Wish you and yours a very Merry Christmas and also a heartfelt thank you for all the joy you spread all throughout the year. It’s truly a delight for me and so so many. ❤️❤️❤️🎄🎄🎄All the best for 2026
Your mantel is wonderful! You and Joe make a good team! I used to have some angel chimes like the ones in your giveaway. I have no idea where they are now. Merry Christmas to you both.
Thank you, Susan, for sharing your dreams, your passions, your creativity, your storytelling, and perhaps most gratitude (at least from me!) for your spirit.
You are one of the few special humans with whom I thoroughly enjoy celebrating nature’s gifts of the four seasons.
My very best wishes to you and Joe for a Merry Christmas, and a happy, healthy New Year!!
Hi Susan! Love reading your Willards, so look forward to them every month! I have enjoyed many of your books and the annual calendars. Having read her little books as a child and am still collecting Beatrix Potter items, I loved your article about her. Congratulations on the honor from the Beatrix Potter Society!
I love Joe’s mantel, what a great idea you had! And the size seems much more usable than the skinny mantel I have. Perfect on that mirrored wall, too. Merry Christmas and Best Wishes for the New Year!
This entire post was just full of Christmas cheer! Loved it! That Joe sure is a handy guy!
I love this Willard especially about the mantel but also about Beatrix Potter. .
This is a sad time for me … my sweet husband passed away a few months ago and all these
“firsts” without him are very difficult.
Thank you for giving me something to smile about🥰
edyB
Im so sorry Edy . . . I’m glad you’re here. Blessings on you and yours, for the memories. ♥️♥️♥️
Susan your Mantle is perfect…so fun to decorate! This year on my mantle I have my snowman collection!…your new place in California suits you perfectly, Happy Christmas🎄🎄
Hi Susan! Enjoy reading your Willards, I look forward to them every month. I have many of your books and annual calendars. Having read her little books as a child and am still collecting Beatrix Potter items, I loved your article about her. Congratulations on the honor from the Beatrix Potter Society!
This latest 2025 Willard was a delightful read. So full of your usual sweetness and the charms of your new life and home in California. Loved the stories about your Beatrice Potter books, your husbands gift to you of a handmade fireplace mantel and more. Wishing for you & Joe, an abundant and joyful year ahead and a very Merry Christmas.
Thank you for the opportunity to win a prize, each is more amazing than the next.
Susan I just love the Whittier quote. You are just the most positive Pollyanna soul and your Willard is so uplifting I could read in for hours. I love your mantle from your Joe. I live in California so I have no mantle but grew up in blizzard territory so we did always have a fireplace and mantle. Thanks for your generosity. As a moon child I love the moon bookmark. Your Christmas treasures included in your giveaway are some to keep and some to pay forward. I love to find the right fun to share! Let us know when preorders for your Anniversary edition of your Christmas book start and when Enchanted will have a chapter two! ❤️💞🌹🎄
Joy to the World, a Willard is come!
Thank you Susan for sharing the Willard – love seeing how Joe has transformed the mirrored wall – and that extra shelf if almost the best bit! Somewhere else to put ‘things’.
Here in my village I organise a living advent calendar – currently on day 12! Each evening a house/business unveils a window or garden scene to show something Christmassy and I get them to hide a tiny picture for the children to find and the first to find it gets a large ‘gold coin’. I collect for different charities each year and this year is for our local Air Ambulance and the First Responders…have raised over £1,000 already! The village is looking very pretty with more lights and windows lit up – and there is a real sense of Christmas spirit and kindness. My own reveal is a garden one (as our cottage is set back a wee bit and I don’t want people trampling my garden in the dark – or falling over!!) and between my husband and me, we created “When Santa got stuck up the Chimney!” Using an old chimney pot from the garden, an old fire grate from a neighbour’s cottage, lots of wood in the grate, lots of fairy lights and a pair of ‘legs’ sticking out the top of the chimney!! Do have a look at what has occurred so far…Brigstock Living Advent Calendar on FB 🎅🏻😂. I’ve also written over 60 Santa letters to local children at the primary schools and some children in the village – keeping the dream alive.
Thank you for a beautiful blog/Willard – have missed seeing them and they are always a joy to read and re-read.
Love
Karen Williams x x x x
Northamptonshire
U.K. 🇬🇧
I would LOVE to walk around in your Village at Christmas, Karen. ♥️♥️♥️♥️
Love the new Willard! Merry Christmas🎄❤️
Seeing Joe make your fireplace mantle brings back memories of mom and I asking my father to build things for us. My cedar chest, my end table, numerous coffe tables and of course bookshelves over the years. I am especially missing the bookshelves. Hope you and Joe have a Merry Christmas.