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!”
I look forward to the Full Moon bookmarks every year. I send them to my bookworm friends in their Christmas cards. I spied Jack sleeping on the dining room chair! Happy Holidays
It’s lovely to read about your prep for Christmas! A mantle is indeed a fabulous spot for decorating. God bless handy hubbies! Merry Christmas.
Merry Christmas!! I always leave your little part of the world refreshed. It’s uplifting to many of us girls. Thank you for gifting us with your joy!
Merry Christmas, Susan… As I’m writing this message, I am having my coffee in your beautiful Santa cup. I love your mantle and brownie points to Joe for doing such a great job! You’ve decorated it beautifully and I love the reflections from the mirror.
Thank you, Susan, for your blog. I look forward to it.
Have you ever heard of Tasha Tudor? She was an American author and artist. She has a book called “All for Love.“ I sent it to her back in 1998 to autograph for me. She did and took the time to handwrite a letter to me.
May you and Joe have a lovely Christmas this year and a very happy 2026!
Thank you! Always enjoy the Willard!
Love, love, love it! The mantel; the Willard; the kindness; the caring….so much is needed in this world. When zi was just a little girl, my mother wanted a fireplace, too. She created one out of cardboard and paper which looked like bricks. I wish I had a picture. It had a tiny top that you could put lightweight things on. Charming!
Dear Susan:
A dear friend, Beth, introduced me to your books. Which inspired us, at the last minute, to visit Marthas Vinyard and attend the magical illumination night! What an amazing experience. Thanks to you, two CA girls flew across the country for an exciting adventure. I will always be grateful for that unique, heart warming experience. So if I do win this special gift, I plan on surprising my friend Beth, by gifting it to her, as a thank you for introduced me to the wonderful world of Susan Branch. Merry Christmas to you and Joe.
Greetings Susan, Beverly here on a very cool December Morning on the Treasure Coast of Florida- IMO the Treasure has been. Long gone – But it has not diminished the wonderful season of Magical Possibilities in our hearts.
I believe Joe really out did him self on your wonderful mantle – Amazing. You will enjoy it forever- And all of us – your fans and loyal readers and followers are pleased you are so happy and positive,
XXX
Just the other day I wondered where you’ve been. I was glad to see this arrive. Hubby and I are slowly in the process of downsizing. It’s a big job. Looking forward to seeing your mantle in other seasons. It’s beautiful. Merry Christmas. ~v~
I enjoy your Willard every time you send it. I have used your calendars for years! I have graduated from the large kitchen one to the smaller “mini” which I bring to Florida every year for the winter.
Every chance I get I do request you to make a 6″x9″ size “Planner” calendar, much like the Lang ones. I use them for appointments and to write important events that will not fit on my mini, which has all my Birthdays posted on it. I carried your small purse size one for years too. But now appointments/events fill up my spaces.
Thank you for your many years of books, paper products and Willard! Merry Christmas.
Happy Christmas! Oh I do love a Willard while sipping my tea! My hubs recently asked me “have you heard from Susan lately, and did her house sell yet?” I said “nope, but Susan makes magic and she will be popping in soon with her Willard.” And there you are!! Your magical mantel is PERFECT, and your amazing Joe is a Christmas angel. I did notice in the picture that your tree angel was tipping over to watch Joe! 😇. Thank you for all you two do to bring us joy. And thank you for gifting lucky girlfriends the Christmas giveaways. Sending love from Northern Cali! 💖
Hi, Susan, I have missed your Willard! I look forward to them as I learn so much and enjoy your creativity. I love everything about Beatrice Potter and you, but sad to say, I am not as creative as you ladies! I do quilt and embroider. I want to thank you for keeping us up dated on your world! Wishing you a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from Mechanicsville, Virginia.
Merry Christmas to you in your new home in CA! The faux fireplace makes a nice addition to your house and it adds an element of coziness. Mantles are just the best for any holiday decorating and I waited years for mine! My handy husband didn’t build it, but our creative son handmade all the beautiful tile that surrounds it and named this tile line after my mother. Then, when we bought an old house on an island in Maine, he made the tile for that 125 year old fireplace! Thanks for the always sweet Willards you send! It brightens any day that they fly in!
I just LOVE your new mantle! Joe is a marvel. It seems like he can do anything! Merry Christmas to you both and a very happy New Year!
Dear Susan and Joe,
You have such a flair for making a space extra cosy and special. I have a wood-burning fireplace in my family room, but it is difficult for me to open and close the damper.
I purchased a very realistic electric log set from Amazon which has an optional heater. I easily inserted it into the fireplace box. Then I got a white noise machine with crackling fireplace sounds.
It is perfect for me.
Merry Christmas and health, happiness, and peace in the New Year.
Debbie Clardy
Eastampton, New Jersey
I have always enjoyed reading your Willards and wish you a wonderful Christmas season. I’d be so pleased to win this months giveaway. Thanks for your generosity. I plan to share the winnings with others to brighten their day.
Merry Christmas, Susan. My brother and SIL are coming for dinner tomorrow. Dessert will be your Christmas Coffee Cake. I’ve made it oodles of times and it’s always a winner. Enjoy your new mantle!
Susan, what a lovely addition to your home. I am so inspired! I agree that people who have done wonderful things in their lifetimes need to be kept alive. You have also introduced people to Gladys Taber, her life’s work is also inspiring and wonderful. Thank you for always reminding me of MAGIC. Have a wonderful first Christmas with your new mantel, I would love to string for you a popcorn and cranberry garland like I do for my own, it is timeless and simple beauty.
You created a warm and cozy holiday home in your California double wide. Let’s hope that this season brings peace and happiness.
Love this Willard ABD your new mantle! Thank you for sharing Christmas joy!
Merry Christmas! I love your mantle! Great job Joe!
Love the mantle, what a nice addition to your home.
Sue,,,I thought you knew everything about everything! I can’t believe I knew about the fake mantles before you….anyway yours looks absolutely beautiful just like you….Happy Ne Year 2016..with love xo
My morning coffee does not taste the same if I have it in a cup that isn’t yours. I ordered a sailboat one this summer to keep at my daughter’s house. I’d love a Santa cup!
What a lovely process it is making your house, Home. So fun.
You and Joe are making it magical! Sure wish I had his ability to build things…but alas, I can envision, but not execute. I’m looking into that fireplace surround, thanks.
Also thanks so very much for the Willards, I love them, they feel like home.
.I hope you and yours have a fabulous Christmas and a wonderful New Year.
Your stories always are painted in such a way I feel like I am exactly there!!! Merry Christmas and a Healthy Happy New Year!!
Made my gingerbread cookies ! Love your recipe !
My dear Susan,
I have continued to read your blogs, but life has been unusually busy for me so have not been able to leave any comments.
I have to say, I enjoy all of your wonderful, funny and informative stories. Ok, every time I move I want a fireplace. While living on Kauai, why would anyone need a fireplace. First of all because of the warmth and ambiance it radiates, and secondly, for the very reason you have, I want to display all the wonderful holidays on it!
I’m wishing you, Joe and your beautiful family a beautiful, magical and blessed Christmas. I know the New Year will bring us all surprising joys and happiness!
Love the mug ! Mine broke, but I repaired it
I get so giddy when your blog arrives in my inbox! Merry Christmas!
I remember a dipping my toes in a California coastal tide pool on Christmas. Happy Christmas!
We used to swim on Christmas Day! Hi Ellen!
I can relate to your dream of a mantle. When we bought our house we have lived in for 38 years, it had a fireplace but no mantle. It only had two hooks o. Each side for hanging stockings. I asked a handyman to build one for us and my dream came true! Like you I love to decorate it all the year through.
Merry Christmas to you, Joe and Jack. ❤️
Susan Christmas in Long Beach, California
Love it Susan! Merry Christmas to you and Joe.
Love it Susan! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
We had those angel chimes when I was growing up. I loved them!
Merry Christmas!
Our extended family & a few friend has a Winter Solstice dinner every year outside on a covered porch – no matter the winter weather here in the mountains of West Virginia! We wear winter costs & hats, snuggle under sheep skins or blankets and use propane heaters if it’s really cold. We dine by candlelight and a Christmas tree lit by white lights. We usually have a delicious Normandy stew over mashed potatoes with a winter salad and bread pudding & vanilla sauce for dessert. It has become a special and treasured event.
I love your new fireplace, and also your ability to turn lemons into lemonade. Such a cheery letter for us—you are a light in the darkness! Merry Christmas!!
I love your blog. I was really sad to see you leave the house on Martha’s Vineyard, but you moved on in style! Most of all, I really, really like that mug!
Your new fireplace is brilliant, beautiful, genius! Oh, to have a Joe… Warmest wishes for a happy holiday season!
Wishing you & Joe a Merry Christmas from snowy IA! I did the same w/ an old mantel in a guest room and it’s the focal point now, as is yours.
Love Willard, you, Joe and the fireplace! Beautiful! Nothing like a decorated mantle! Would love to receive your lovely gifts. Thx for all the joy you bring us all!
Wishing you & Joe a Merry Christmas from snowy IA! I did the same w/ an old mantel in a guest room and it’s the focal point now, as is yours.
I live in a small mountain town, and travel every Christmas to be with family. We stay in a different air B&B every year, a I pack up two Christmas bin that I take with me, so that I can still create that Christmas magic with family. It’s important to keep the traditions and memories alive.
I really love your mantel story, and love how it turned out so beautiful.
Thank you for spreading Christmas joy to so many of us!
Well, I sent a comment on this post once but my computer locked up and I couldn’t tell if it’s sent or not so I’m sending another. Plus, I got the benefit of coming back and seeing the addition at the end of your post so good day for me. I mentioned that I live in the Midwest and that for 33 years we lived in a house, it was 150 years old but then last year we downsize to a smaller 10-year-old brick home. We noticed in both homes that when the temperature was between 45 and 55 that was when our house was the coldest and when we most often needed our fireplace. So I’m just curious why you don’t feel that need in California. I would think I would still want one for emergencies. Maybe it’s a different kind of cold. Merry Christmas to you, Joe and all the kitties.
Because it warms up so quickly when the sun comes up, you go to the trouble of making a fire and then you just have to put it out! We had a fireplace growing up and I don’t remember ever having a fire in it! Maybe they were worried we would fall in!!!♥️
Love the new mantle! You are so creative, your garden is also beautiful!
What an inspiration you are!!! I love your new mantle. Thank you for brightening my inbox with your beautiful thoughts and creativity. Merry Christmas to you and Joe! – Mary Alice from Travelers Rest, SC
I love that Joe built a mantle for you. I’m in my Mom’s 50’s ranch house so no fireplace; however I have lots of nooks & crannies that I have decorated so am enjoying all my Christmas from years past. Merry Christmas to you & yours!
Please throw my name into the hat, Susan. Thanks. Great p
ost, as always. You are like a light in the darkness of the world.
❌⭕️♥️❌⭕️
What a bountiful giveaway! I love Beatrix Potter-my Nana used to read me her stories when I was small, and I still have a collection of her books. The Tale of Beatrix Potter was the first biography of her that I read, and it made me thirsty for more! I have the book about her gardening life, which I love also. Your mantle is awesome-way to go, Joe! I have a barrister’s bookcase I use for decorations, including my Beatrix Potter figurines.
Oh I love this mantle solution! It is just perfect! I love to decorate for Christmas and a mantle is an important part of the landscape. Our current house has two fireplaces but NO mantles. Where am I supposed to hang the stockings with care? We had one made for the living room fireplace, but I’m still waiting for one in the family room. Perhaps next year.
Well done Joe! The mantel is beautiful and the decorations as so you Susan!
Hope you have a wonderful Christmas and a Happy and Healthy New Year.
Dear Susan,
Cheers to the small, bright joys we find in winter, to the cozy ways. Heart surgery in June gave me a second, wild wonderful life—(thank you Mary Oliver for your poems and that phrase)—one I intend to live vibrantly. Your Willard’s contribute to that vibrancy. They are full of your warmth and love. Thank you for sharing both with all of us.
Jane T.
Lovely and cozy!
Thanks for sharing all your joy!
Merry Christmas!
I love the mantle so much! My husband gifted me a sweet electric fireplace/stove for Christmas. I think it may need a mantle to go over it! I’ve never had a mantle to decorate but have always wanted one.
Please enter me in the drawing. 🙂
I love what you did to the mirrored wall by adding the mantle. We have three electric fireplaces and what is great is that you can have them on but choose heat or no heat. You have really transformed your double wide trailer into a proper home. Sending heart felt holiday wishes to you, Joe and Jack!
Merry Christmas and all the best in 2026!!
Your Williards always bring such delight! Joe did an incredible job with your mantle and makes a good room even more cozy and inviting. Wishing all here the merriest of Christmas festivities!
Merry Christmas Susan❣️🎄
Your fireplace is amazing!!!!
And the giveaways… over the top.
I re-read Isle of Dreams every Winter. For some reason it’s my favorite of my Susan Collection.
Enjoy your holidays.
Laurie
Merry Christmas! 🎄
I can almost smell the honeyed scent of your alyssum. Thank you! Mine is long gone and won’t be back until next summer; thank you for sharing yours. It is truly a heavenly scent. Merry Christmas to all in beautiful, magical California!
What a nice, happy blurb on a gray Ohio winter day. You have brightened my day.
Oh Susan I love when Willard shows up in my inbox!!! We have a copy of that Beatrix Potter Journal!!! I bought it for my Annika when she was just learning to read and I’m not sure which of us loved it more!!! Of course Annika is all grown up and in graduate school studying to be a nurse but that journal still lives on our bookshelf. I am decorating for Christmas and bits of your art are sprinkled in amongst my families ornaments, my mothers and even a few special pieces that were my grandmother’s. I have two of your ornaments hanging on our mantle, your beautiful books on the ottoman and of course tea in my Santa mug. Wishing you & Joe the most beautiful of holiday seasons!! With love from Illinois, Laura
Always look forward to your newsletter. Wishing you and your family good health and happiness in the new year.
In the season of giving and celebrations:
Be not forgetful
To entertain strangers
For thereby some have entertained
angels unaware.
-Hebrews 13:2
Perfect!
Wow, love reading your blog, always lifts me up. And so so so love the full moon bookmark. Thank You. I print it off and give to many friends.
I love the fireplace! It is decorated beautifully! Thank you for you positivity, creativeness, and encouragement! I love it all!❤️
Your friend,
Pammy Rosser
I would LOVE LOVE LOVE a Santa mug! But the best gift is just reading your blog. It feels like a warm hug. xoxo Elizabeth in CT
😘
What a beautiful piece to read . My heart is so full after this. Christmas has so many wonderful traditions and your story embodies them. The mantle is a place for people to gather, for warmth, for chat, for remembering and for new memories. Enjoy lovely moment during all the seasons at your lovely, hand crafted with love ( by Joe) mantle piece. Happy Christmas to you two
Susan, (oh the typeface is just like you, too!) Thank you so much for the holiday cheer and inspiration. I loved your Christmas Fairy Tale and the views of your winter garden. I live in San Luis Obispo, just on the other side of the “grade” from you. I feel so blessed that I can imagine you there making the world where I live just a little more magic and filled with fairies. I hope your holiday season is filled with friends and family and joy and laughter.
Oh Ms. Susan! Thank you for this post. We moved into a lower-level condo this year and I’ve been sad that it doesn’t have some of the aesthetics as our old place. We moved on a most lovely street with gas powered lanterns in the largest Victorian neighborhood in the US! I have slowly worked to make our place a cozy, warm and welcoming place. You have reminded me that I can make anywhere home.
Must have a fireplace to hang your stockings. Merry Christmas.
When we moved into our present home in the central valley of CA (about 2 hours from you!), we also missed having a fireplace with a mantel to decorate. My mom always kept Christmas in the most amazing way, and our family has carried on her traditions…but what to do with a fireplace-less home? We wound up buying a setup from one of those big box stores that we put up in minutes. It has a metal box and some fake concrete logs, and a space to burn a can of “fireplace fuel” aka Sterno. It gives a lovely light, the flames are real and not electric or gas-based! Smells a little bit funny for a few minutes after it goes out, but it’s heavenly in the winter and I get to decorate the mantel all year! Your story reminded me that it is possible to make your own dreams come true!
Thank you Susan! This Willard warmed my heart. Merry Christmas to you and yours and all the best (for all of us) in the New Year! Love, Kate in Atlanta, GA
Happy Holidays Susan and all of you beautiful people! Tis the season to be happy, healthy and grateful. I’m wishing for a copy of ‘Home For The Holidays’. 🤞🏼Your casita is beautifully and magically decorated. 🎄🧑🎄 I look so forward to reading your Willard every month! You inspire me and make me smile. 😊 Happy Holidays! ❤️
I love the fireplace wall! Enjoyed reading your blog today- it brought some peace to a hectic day. <3
I love your new mantle!! And I have that Journal book, too! They are both truly magical! Enjoy your magical life Susan 🙂
I also love Beatrice Potter, time to get out my books and reread them! Thanks for the inspiration. I love the Santa mug and need to replace my faded mugs. Merry Christmas to you and Joe and of course Jack!
Merry Christmas Jack! and Susan and Joe!
I love the santa teacup and I gave my best friend who I got hooked on all things SB the gold spinner with the candles last year. I would’ve loved to have kept it for myself! I did by the birthday teacup for her and when it arrived and I cried at its beauty my kids made me keep it for myself!
Merry Christmas Susan!
I love your fireplace, it is perfect! You are an elf, always spreading good cheer and inspiration. Thank you and wishing you a happy, merry Christmas!
xoxo,
Nicole
Merry Christmas Susan! 🎄🕯️🫖☕️
It’s all so cozy and delightful. I have five of your books on my coffee table right now 💚❤️☃️🎄!
Thank you so much for your lovely magical Christmas themed post. My grandparents lived in California when I was growing up, so it brought back memories of visits with them. Wishing you and yours a blessed holiday. 🎄
You make me feel cozy in my heart, Susan. Thank you for generously sharing your life and dreams and art and heart with us.
Gods bless and Merry Christmas ❤️.
Lori
After all these years, from the time I found your first book, HEART OF THE HOME, in a local gift store in Palos Verdes, I still carefully read your every word:>) I picked up your book again to find a direction to turn to page 141. There is a precious signature….”To Judy with love, Susan Branch” still valuable, still cherished, and still grateful that after all these years for your blessings to all of us still radiating. Glad to watch you in California again, though we all loved the Martha Vineyard years. Merry Christmas! Thank you again for all your word/gifts to us through the years. Lovingly, Judy Tracy
Morning Susan, fellow Californian!
I look forward to your Willard every month. We all want to know if you’ve sold your Martha Vineyard home? I’m enjoying your new and revised Summer book and look forward to your revised Christmas book! I love your new mantle! I missed my Bodega Bay fireplace when I moved to Petaluma, a warmer less windy and foggy lovely old town nearby, so we bought a fake electric fireplace with artificial flames for the ambience and it’s wonderful! Joe, your master craftsman, did a great job! Just dream it! Have a blessed California holiday!
Floranne
What a wonderful Willard update! I’ve loved your books since I was in my 20s Susan! I pull out the appropriate book for every season. Of course, somewhere I missed the news of you moving from New England to Sunny Cali, so I’m going to have to read some old Willards to learn more about your new move! I love the little magic you put in every single day. Thank you for sharing your art and your love of all things warm and cozy and delicious and lovely. From a longtime fond reader!
Your warm, beautiful California scenes are perfect to reflect on, and are helping to have warm thoughts on this chilly NH day! I love your new mantle; what a special gift from your sweet husband. Thank you for the Full Moons 2026 bookmark. I’m heading to the printer as soon as I can 😊. Wishing you a lovely holiday season. With love and gratitude for your talents and sharing them with the world! 💕
Proof you can take the ordinary and make it magical!
Loved your post. I am inspired to turn on my gas logs, grab a cuppa for some sit and stare time with our little tree twinkling its Merry Christmas magic.
Thank you for another wonderful post. About 35 years ago, I made some baby quilts using fabric printed with Beatrix Potter characters. Wish I still had some of those fabrics. They made adorable baby gifts. Love the new mantle. Joe is talented!
Merry Christmas to you, and Joe, and Jack! And a Happy New Year too!! I always purchase your mini calendar as a gift to myself each year and the kids cross off each day in December til the 25th in alternating red & green Xs. It’s one of our favorite Christmas traditions. The little things : ) Blessings to you and yours, dear Susan.
Another winning Willard! You inspire, delight and enchant me! The mantle is perfect and you will enjoy it in every season, and so will we! Thank you for your generosity.
Its always a delight to find the newest Willard, filled with pictures, quotes and joy, in my email box. Happy Holidays!
I love seeing your “new” place to decorate and be creative. It’s inspiring and reminds of the saying “bloom where you’re planted.” Seems like Jack is settling in well. Still love seeing his sweet face! ❤️ Thanks for sharing a glimpse of your California world.
Merry Christmas, Susan, Joe and Jack!!❤️🎄✨🎅🏼🫶🏼
What a great idea! Looks amazing. Saving the interview for when I get back from last of errands. So wonderful to see this post. Thank you. Didn’t realize how much I needed that lift in spirit.
Dear Susan, I read your Christmas Book each year, right after Thanksgiving. It makes me feel ready for the holidays. Thank you for being here, when we need beauty and kindness and laughter. Don’t remember when I first saw you, but I still have the original bound Willard letters, so many great years. I will print out and post your full moon bookmark over my desk, next to your wall calendar, for inspiration. So, from the East Coast, New England, 9 miles north of Boston, I wish you and yours a 🎵Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year 🎵!
Rosemary
Love the mantle.. I had my husband do the same thing for my birthday last year!
Merry Christmas Susan… you have been an absolute amazing inspiration to me for YEARS!
THANK YOU for the creativity you so lovingly share!
Cheers to all of the Goodness!
Thank you for sharing your beautiful light! ❤️
My best friend told me I would love your blog and she was so right! I look forward to your Willards every month. Love your fireplace mantle and what a great place to put it!
Thank you for your optimism which is never blind, but always seems to find the good in life, the “pockets of joy” and always, most importantly, hope. Here’s to 2026! 🥂 from a very cold and snowy 🇨🇦
I anticipate each Willard that turns up in my inbox and, every so often, am pleasantly surprised to have one there when I open my morning emails to say, Here I am!” I love listening to the MUSICA! Thank you!