Written by Sheria Rowe
I watched Merry Friendsmas before I sat down with its director, and I walked away with two words: forgiveness and understanding.
That's by design. Writer-director Stacie Davis Hamilton built her new holiday comedy around both. The film follows a group of college friends who reunite for a Friendsmas retreat, where old jealousies, unhealed heartbreak, and a few long-overdue conversations finally surface.
Behind the cozy cabin and the sweet potato pie is a filmmaker who figured out early that Christmas movies weren't just a passion. They were a business.
From the Newsroom to the Script
Stacie's storytelling started in high school, where she delivered the morning news to her classmates. At Claflin University, she studied mass communications and learned news writing, videography, and editing. After graduation, she went to work at a news station.
Then came a book. In college, she wrote about South Carolina Hall of Fame basketball coach Taft Watson, and that book became the documentary More Than a Coach: The Taft Watson Story. Shooting the reenactment scenes in the summer of 2015 hooked her. "I really enjoyed putting the pieces together," she says. "Contacting folks, just putting that project together."
The real pivot happened at home during the Christmas holidays. Watching holiday movies with her mother, Stacie noticed a pattern. A formula.
"I looked at her and told her, 'I can write me a Christmas movie,'" she recalls. "And she said, 'You should.'"
She went to her room and started writing. She had no screenwriting training and no idea how to put a movie together. "All I had was my faith."
She finished the script and pitched it to Irving Williams, father of Family Matters star Kellie Shanygne Williams. He said yes and brought his family on board. That film became Christmas in Carolina.
"That was my very first baby," she says. "A big learning project." She wrote it, produced it, and wore every hat in between. Today, she has a team. "I'm not wearing as many hats as I did before. But I'm still wearing hats."
With the film finished, Stacie reached out to Dana at Legacy Distribution, now with Vision Films. Then the call came: Christmas in Carolina had landed exclusively on The Roku Channel.
"I'm like, what?" she says. "When I saw that, I was like, okay, this is not a hobby. This is a business."
So she treated it like one. She studied the market, researched what buyers wanted, and committed to family-friendly holiday content. "That's what networks are looking for," she says. "I want to tap into that market, stay in that market, learn it, grow, and expand."
That strategy has put her films on Roku, Tubi, and Amazon Prime. It also shaped Stacie Davis Films, her Marion, South Carolina-based company, which now develops holiday features, scripted series, and short-form content for networks and streamers.
Chosen Family, Real Conversations
Merry Friendsmas started with a phrase. Stacie saw a blogger celebrating a "Merry Friendsmas," a holiday gathering with friends, and the story clicked.
She built the friend group from pieces of her own life. "I take a little bit from my family, from my college friends, and sprinkle in a little fiction," she says. "I wanted a relatable storyline, so the audience can say, 'I know so-and-so. I remember when that happened to me.'"
One thread follows Vette and a high school love that didn't survive the distance. Years pass without a word. When they finally see each other again, she's carrying resentment, and he has no idea why. "It all goes back to just communicating," Stacie says.
Another centers on Joy, who is married to a millionaire. Her friends assume she has it all together. Nobody asks about the other side. "You never know what a person is going through," Stacie says.
That's the heart of the film. Forgive. Talk it out. Don't live on assumptions. "Take a moment to forgive, communicate, and then move forward," she says. "Life is too short to hold on to negative experiences."
But first? "Enjoy the movie. Laugh. Have a good time."
Made at Home
The cast includes Bishop Michael A. Blue and Pastor Malinda Blue of The Door of Hope Christian Church, alongside hometown talent. For Stacie, that's the point. Aspiring actors in South Carolina often travel to Atlanta, New York, or Los Angeles to chase roles, with no guarantee of landing one.
"To be local, to be here in South Carolina, is amazing," she says, "because I'm offering opportunities to those who want to work in the arts, who want to be an actor, who want to be behind the camera, who want to learn the making of a movie."
She plans to keep it that way. "I try to stay in this area, because the folks here need the opportunity."
The Indie Filmmaker's Playbook
Getting an independent film onto Roku, Tubi, and Amazon Prime is rare, and Stacie admits she doesn't always stop to give herself credit. "Most independent filmmakers may not make it to those platforms," she says. "Some have their projects on the shelves."
Here's what she's learned:
Don't shelve it. "Don't give up. Pursue it. Pitch it. Push it."
Build a team that believes. She credits Dana, Legacy Distribution, and Vision Films for championing her work. "They're the ones that push it, but they believe in the project as well. It truly takes a team."
Let criticism coach you. After Christmas in Carolina was released, a viewer called out an audio issue in one scene. "It broke me down," she says. Her mother reframed it: comments like that show you exactly where to get better. "I had to look at it through a different lens."
From Marion to South Africa
Merry Friendsmas is going global. On November 3, it releases in the U.S., Canada, the U.K., and South Africa.
That last market is personal. The actress who plays Belle hails from South Africa's Western Cape. She's the first in her family to appear in a holiday film, and her hometown supporters are already rallying behind the release.
"We've been international," Stacie says, "but to have an actress from there in a project with us makes it even more special."
Mogul Minute
Favorite holiday film that isn't yours? Home Alone and Elf.
Your Friendsmas must-have dish? Sweet potato pie. "I know that's the dessert, but you gotta have that."
Advice for a woman with a script sitting in a drawer? "Get it out of the drawer. Finish it, rewrite it, and pitch it. There are too many outlets out here. Don't leave it on the shelf."
Watch Merry Friendsmas
Merry Friendsmas arrives November 3 on iTunes/Apple TV, Vimeo, and Fandango, available in the U.S., Canada, the U.K., and South Africa. Pre-orders are open now.
Follow Stacie Davis Films on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok, and visit staciedavisfilm.com.