Picture this... You stop on the sidewalk outside an old manor. Wrought iron. Thorns. Towering trees that gave up on autumn weeks ago. Two ravens call out from the branches, and every sensible part of you says keep walking.
But the gate screeches open anyway.
And inside? Spring. Roses and camellias in full bloom. Bees drifting lazily between petals. Butterflies. Birdsong. A garden that has quietly refused to wither while the whole world outside it turns to frost.
Then the door opens, and a woman with spindly fingers and a lilting Scottish voice smiles like she's been waiting for this moment for centuries.
"Well, come on in! I've been expecting you."
Thresa Richardson on set of The Christmas Witch movie as Lady Befana Rathcroghan.
Readers, meet Lady Befana Rathcroghan.
The Keeper of the Manor
Lady Befana is the keeper of many things. Rathcroghan Manor. The ancient Grimoire. The history of Amberlight Valley, and the lineage of The Christmas Witch itself.
She is old in the way the hills are old. Her eyes hold a deep, patient wisdom, the kind that comes from watching generations rise and fall and still choosing to believe in the goodness of people. And yet there's a mischief in her too, a sparkle that reminds you magic was never meant to be solemn all the time.
Her garden tells you everything you need to know about her. Outside the gate, the world is dimming. Inside, life keeps blooming. That is Befana. She is the light that holds steady while everything around it changes.
The Magic in Her Name
I don't name characters lightly, and Befana's name carries two deeply important stories.
Befana comes from Italian folklore, where La Befana is the beloved old witch who flies on her broom through the winter night to deliver gifts to children on Epiphany, January 6th. If you've read The Christmas Witch, you already know why that matters so much in Amberlight Valley.
Rathcroghan is an ancient royal site in County Roscommon, Ireland, and many believe it to be the birthplace of Samhain. Legend says a cave there, Oweynagcat, was a doorway to the Otherworld, where spirits and strange creatures slipped through when the veil grew thin. It's tied to Queen Medb and to the Morrígan, the great phantom queen of Irish myth.
So Befana carries both: the warmth of the gift-giver, and the deep, veil-thin wisdom of the old places. Winter kindness and Samhain mystery, living in one woman.
Paige Freeman Hoover as Cerridwen Baelfyre and Thresa Richardson as Lady Befana Rathcroghan on the set of The Christmas Witch movie.
What Befana Teaches
In Amberlight Valley, Befana becomes the teacher every young witch needs. She guides Cerridwen, Brigid and Morgan through the elements, through hearing one another's thoughts and learning to guard their own, through the history that lives beneath their feet.
When Brigid calls Befana's tale of the valley's founding "a story," Befana gently corrects her:
"Oh my sweet little lass, it is not a story. It is history."
But my favorite thing Befana ever says is this:
"I see with my heart, not just my eyes."
That line is the whole of her. She looks at a sharp-tongued girl everyone else has written off and sees someone worth believing in. She looks at a grieving mother and sees the power she has forgotten she carries.
I think every one of us deserves a Befana. The elder who believes in you before you believe in yourself. For my fellow neurodivergent dreamers especially, who so often grew up being seen for our edges instead of our light, that kind of seeing is its own kind of magic. And if you haven't found your Befana yet, maybe you get to become one for someone else.
Bringing Befana to Life: Celebrating Thresa Richardson
When we started casting The Christmas Witch, I knew Befana would be the hardest role to fill. She needed to be ancient and playful at the same time. Wise without being heavy. Otherworldly, yet so warm you'd want to curl up beside her fire with a cup of tea.
And Thresa Richardson was meant to play this role.
Thresa Richardson on set of The Christmas Witch movie as Lady Befana Rathcroghan.
Thresa didn't just play Befana. She embodied her. She carried a youthful whimsy that made every scene feel light and alive, and underneath it, a centuries-old knowing that made you believe she had truly lived all those lifetimes.
When she taught Paige, Brooklyn, and Jayde their magic lessons, it didn't feel like acting. It felt like real wisdom being passed down, and I watched our younger cast lean in and light up around her, on camera and off.
“It was an absolute honor to portray Befana, a woman who truly understands the power and wisdom of women, and the importance of 'passing the torch' for the next generations.” —Thresa Richardson
There is one scene near the end of Befana's journey that I won't spoil here. I'll only say that by the time we called cut, there wasn't a dry eye on set. Cast, crew, all of us. That is the power of what Thresa gave this character. She made Befana someone we genuinely loved, and you're going to love her too.
“Personally, I fully embrace the concept of maiden/mother/crone, and I definitely had that dynamic on set with Paige and the girls! We came together as if we'd known each other much longer, and formed our own little family of sorts. I'm glad that magic came through in The Christmas Witch, on the page and on film.” —Thresa Richardson
Thresa, thank you for opening the door to Rathcroghan Manor and inviting every one of us inside. You were expecting us, I think, all along.
Come Meet Her in Amberlight Valley
You can meet Lady Befana right now in the pages of The Christmas Witch, Book One of the Amberlight Valley Series.
Dalea Faulkner is an author, filmmaker, and multi-hyphenate creative living in the White Mountains of Arizona. Hashtag Blessed is streaming on multiple platforms, and the full Amberlight Valley trilogy is available now.
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