A Christmas Melody marked Mariah's film directorial debut. The film, which stars Lacey Chabert, Brennan Elliott, Fina Strazza and Mariah herself, premiered on the US Hallmark channel on December 19, 2015, and was released on DVD on October 4, 2016. “It's something I've always done behind the scenes.” Mariah said about directing. “I worked behind the scenes on a lot of my music videos, and I never took credit for it. I was always so involved from being in the editing room, sometimes directing an entire video and giving someone else credit — it's just something I know that I'm able to do and that I have an eve for, so I just decided to do it with this project. Hallmark is so great, and I love the movies they do at Christmas time. When we started talking to the folks there, it just all came together quickly. Christmas is a special time of year, and I just wanted to make something that I hope people are going to like.?”
Directed by Mariah Carey, A Christmas Melody revolves around Kristin (Lacey Chabert), a beautiful, stylish divorcee who is a talented clothing designer and her young daughter, Emily (Fina Strazza). Kristin has just had to close her small Manhattan boutique to return to her Ohio home town and live in her parents' former home. It's an adjustment for Kristin and Emily — especially when she runs into her former high school rival Melissa (Mariah Carey). Melissa is president of the PTA and tries to make Kristen feel as unwelcome as possible. Kristen and Emily struggle to find their new normal with the help of the hunky local music teacher Danny (Brennan Elliot) and coffee shop owner Sarah (Kathy Najimy).
