‘There’s Always a Miracle Around the Corner’: Karen Kingsbury, Jana Kramer and Stars Shine at ‘The Christmas Ring’ Premiere (EXCLUSIVE)
The cast gathered in Franklin, Tennessee, to celebrate Karen Kingsbury's latest faith-filled film
Christmas magic arrived early in Franklin, Tennessee! The Franklin Theater was buzzing as the stars of The Christmas Ring gathered to celebrate the beloved New York Times best-selling novel by Karen Kingsbury—coming to life on the big screen today, November 6. Fan favorites Jana Kramer, Jessie James Decker, Ben Hollingsworth, Debbie Winans and more lit up the night, bringing holiday cheer and excitement to this heartwarming story.
“I love seeing Karen’s books on the big screen,” actress Danica McKellar told Woman’s World on the red carpet. “I’m here supporting Karen, who is a great friend, and she is so talented. I’m obviously a huge fan of her books.”
Jana Kramer agrees. “Karen Kingsbury is an amazing author and the way that she was able to entwine faith into the story, too, I think it’s really beautiful,” she said. “It tells that there’s love, hope and joy, especially at the greatest time of year.”
Kramer stars as Vanessa Mayfield, a military widow who meets a handsome antique dealer (Hollingsworth) while searching for a ring that is a long-lost family heirloom. When asked how she and Vanessa are alike, Kramer responded, “We are able to find hope and love and loss, and how we are different is I am not a PTO kind of gal, so [I’m not into] putting together those big events. I can barely be a room mom for her,” she says gesturing to her daughter Jolie, who joined her on the red carpet. “Those kinds of things are a little out of my comfort zone.”
How Jana Kramer celebrates the holidays
Though planning and executing big school activities isn’t her forte, Kramer loves creating special moments for her three children, especially during the holidays. “One of my favorite traditions with the kids is we do tea time at the Hermitage Hotel,” she said of Nashville’s historic downtown hotel. “It’s a really cute Nutcracker tea. We get dressed up and then we always go to the Opryland Hotel too, and we do a bunch of sledding. It’s just a lot of fun and, of course, watching all the movies and baking cookies. It’s fun. We love snuggles during the holiday season.”
Ben Hollingsworth dishes on his character
Hollingsworth plays Kramer’s love interest, Ben Miller, in The Christmas Ring. “I really like Karen. Her writing was fantastic. Her script is great. Jana was already attached to it, same with Kelsey Grammer,” Hollingsworth replied when asked what appealed to him about taking the role. “The script is really timeless…I think [people will] take home this warm sense of the renewal of love and how that can happen.”
Jessie James Decker makes her big-screen debut
Decker makes her acting debut in The Christmas Ring, portraying Leigh. “This was my first time acting, my first time on set, my first time doing anything like this and to be able to play a character that I can relate to made it that much easier,” Decker told WW on the red carpet.
“I was nervous. I’ve never done anything like this. I’ve never had to memorize lines. I’ve memorized lyrics, but not lines, and this character was the comedic relief. She’s very blunt. She speaks her mind, but she is a girl’s girl through and through and I connected to that. And Jana is one of my best friends, so it was easy to play someone who loves her that much.”
The mother of four is looking forward to the holidays with her family. “Decorating the trees, having apple cider, putting on some Christmas music, presents. We love our traditions at our house,” Decker said. “We get very excited.”
Debbie Winans talks working with Karen Kingsbury
Debbie Winans says Kingsbury called and asked if she’d like to be in the movie, and Winans said it was an easy yes. “I would want to be a part of anything that Karen does, because everything that she does is quality,” Winans told WW on the red carpet. “It’s full of hope, life and it deals with real-life issues, so it was a pleasure to be a part of this movie.”
When asked what she hoped viewers would take away from the movie, Winans said, “I hope they realize that life will always hand us something good, bad, different. It’s filled with ups and downs, but God is not through with us yet, so don’t ever give up. There’s always a miracle around the corner.”
Tyler Michael Smith brings the music to life
Tyler Michael Smith composed the score for the film and served as music supervisor. “Karen and I have talked about working together for years and we finally got the chance with Someone Like You,” he says. “I just look forward to working with her in years to come because it’s such an amazing team—her and Tyler Russell, her son, all of her family. I love them so much. I can’t wait to do the next project.”
Smith’s parents—Christian music icon Michael W. Smith and his wife Debbie—came out to support their son. “I think it’s probably the best thing he’s done,” Smith says of his son’s work on The Christmas Ring. He admits he knew early on that Tyler would likely be making music for films. “He was probably around 10 or 11 when we heard somebody just blazing stuff on the piano that was just out of this world,” Smith says. “We knew right then he was destined for something in the music business. At 14 or 15 he had a great appreciation for film scores. He fell in love with John Williams just like I did, but probably at about 15 or 16 I said, ‘He’s going to score films someday,’ and he’s doing it.”
Karen Kingsbury talks ‘The Christmas Ring’
The Christmas Ring follows Kingsbury’s successful 2024 film, Someone Like You. “I told the Lord if we make the money back, we’ll make another movie,” Kingsbury told WW on the red carpet. “And I said, ‘Okay, we’re going to do it.’”
She admits writing a Christmas book/movie is different from her usual New York Times best-sellers. “My normal stories that I write are very deep, very emotional and they have a lot of redemption, that kind of thing, and less humor. They are hopeful, but this has humor,” she said. “I need it to be a little more fun. I really want people to know that they can come to the theater as strangers, but they will leave a community and that’s a great way to ring in Christmas.”
As she welcomed people into the theater, Kingsbury’s excitement for her new film was palpable. Being able to work with her son, director and co-writer Tyler Russell, on Someone Like You and then again on The Christmas Ring has been a dream come true. It’s not been an easy journey, but Kingsbury encourages others to step out and take chances.
“One way to look at it is: Go to the end of your life, go to that last day and go, would you regret not doing it? You have to take the chance,” she smiled. “You have to jump, and for me, I can’t do it without the Lord holding onto me and me holding onto Him. What am I afraid of? Am I going to die with money in the bank? No. Spend it. Make people happy. Make them see what the hope of Jesus at Christmas time really is about.”
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