Holiday Film On Lifetime Penned By HBCU Alum

NJG Newswire
TALLAHASSEE, FL
This holiday season, an HBCU alum honors his late father’s legacy with a heartwarming Lifetime Holiday Movie. The film “Deck the Hallways” is a story of family, tradition, and hope shaped by the lessons of a lifetime. Along with encore airings on Lifetime through the holiday season,  it is available to stream on-demand, on the Lifetime app & the Lifetime website: https://play.mylifetime.com/movies/deck-the-hallways

Gregory Anderson, an HBCU alumnus of Florida A&M University, wrote the screenplay earlier this year in Tallahassee while caring for his father, Dr. Osiefield Anderson. This experience helped shape the emotional pulse of the film through the themes of celebrating life, cherishing memories, honoring old traditions, and embracing new ones. “The story became about everything Dad taught me, about honoring what matters, celebrating the people we love while we have them, and finding ways to keep their spirit alive,” Gregory says.

The film carries a dedication to Dr. Anderson in its closing credits, a testament to the power of keeping memories alive. “This was the last script I was working on before he passed,” Gregory says. “Writing it helped me process what we were going through: the importance of embracing life, cherishing every moment, and understanding that traditions evolve but faith and love endure.”

Dr. Osiefield Anderson passed away on August 10, 2025, at age 97, leaving behind six decades of teaching at HBCU (FAMU,) from the late 1950s until 2019, when he was well into his 90s. Known for weaving life philosophy into mathematical theory, Dr. Anderson helped countless students who remember his wisdom long after leaving his classroom.

“My dad always said that mathematics was about finding patterns and connections,” Gregory reflects. “In a way, that’s what this story is about too: the connections between generations, the patterns of life that repeat themselves, and how we can solve the variables when everything changes.”

Dr. Anderson was an impeccable motivational speaker, orator, and poet who authored 34 books, many non-academic works that impart life lessons. Dr. Anderson was also a retired Army veteran who recently received the prestigious Quilt of Valor.

“Deck the Hallways” stars Loretta Devine, Naika Toussaint and Jamie M. Callica.

It tells the story of Zoe (Naika Toussaint), a Bay Area tech exec, who returns to Chicago to visit her grandmother Agnes (Loretta Devine), who’s traded old traditions for bold new adventures, including canceling the cherished holiday party her late husband started.

Missing the festive warmth of her childhood, Zoe teams up with her charming childhood crush, Jace (Jaime M. Callica), and their 5th Floor neighbors to revive the celebration. As sparks fly between Zoe and Jace, a last-minute cancellation threatens the fun, but Agnes steps up. Together, the building rallies for a joyful Christmas Eve, showing that holiday spirit, new memories, and maybe even new love are made by those bold enough to keep traditions alive.

How to Watch

“Deck the Hallways” is now available to stream on-demand, on the Lifetime app and on the Lifetime website:

https://play.mylifetime.com/movies/deck-the-hallways

Check Local Listings for additional TV airings during the holidays.

Deck the Hallways is produced by Front Street Pictures. The film is produced by Charles Cooper, with Executive Producers Meyer Shwarzstein, Reuben Cannon, Nicole Guenthard, Jackie Lind, Rama Diallo and Allen Lewis. Jason James directs, from a Story by Meyer Shwarzstein & Gregory R. Anderson and Teleplay by Gregory R. Anderson.