After nearly forty years in Hollywood, Candace Cameron Bure - who turns 50 in April - is feeling more sure of herself than ever. While her conservative values have come at a cost for the actress, producer and podcast host, she's telling Us why she refuses to compromise or keep quiet. "Every decade of my life has been better and better," she exclusively reveals in Us Weekly's latest cover story. "You become more confident in who you are." Who she is, first and foremost, is a Christian. Though she rose to stardom as Donna Jo "D.J." Tanner on Full House at age 11, her faith and conservative values have come to define her. She authored the 30-day devotional Rise and Renew, released in November. And Another Sweet Christmas, her latest TV movie for Great American Family, where she is chief creative officer, premieres Saturday, December 20 - three years after she defended the network's decision to "keep traditional marriage" front and center of its programming. (She also has Ainsley McGregor Mysteries: A Case for the Watchmaker, premiering January 1, 2026, on Great American Flix, the network's streamer.) Candace Cameron Bure Gushes Over Great American Family's 'Stories of Faith' "There's nothing I need to clear up," Cameron Bure says about her opinions tending to make headlines. "There really isn't. I'm just living true to me." Which doesn't mean the star - who's been married to former hockey pro Valeri Bure since 1996 - considers herself above reproach. "Any mistakes, whether big or small, they're good," she says. "You learn from mistakes. You grow from them." Now firmly in her unapologetic era, the mom of three - to daughter Natasha, 27, and sons Lev, 25, and Maksim, 23 - sat down with Us to talk about her favorite time of year and standing up for her beliefs. You've made more than 15 holiday movies and have been dubbed the Queen of Christmas. What does that mean to you? It's the holiday I look forward to most. I like to make it as peaceful and simple as possible and really make Christmas about connecting with my family and friends. The older I get, I just want to have deep, meaningful moments. Val always makes a beautiful Christmas Eve dinner for us and then we go to church. How does your faith shape the way you celebrate Christmas? Jesus being born ... is the foundation of it, which is why we read the Bible the morning of Christmas, to remind ourselves what we're actually celebrating - the birth of Jesus - and that we give gifts because Jesus gave us the gift of salvation. Those are beautiful things. GARRETT LOBAUGH Speaking of presents, this is the second year in a row you've given fans the gift of a holiday movie with you and Cameron Mathison. What's your secret to creating onscreen chemistry with a leading man? It's just about getting to know each other. I'm fortunate enough to produce these movies. I really love being able to cast people who I already know are good human beings and happy and positive. I just like working with good people, and then when I find them, I want to keep working with them. Let's talk about your switch in 2022 from working with Hallmark to Great American Family, which makes content about "faith, family and country." I feel like these movies have resonated so much. The channel has really leaned into that market and the people who are yearning for the name Jesus to be in Christmas movies - and I think that Great American will continue to lean even further into those types of stories. Why does making films rooted in religion matter to you? Sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ truly is the most important thing in my life, and I get to share this in creative ways as a woman of faith in the entertainment industry. Candace Cameron Bure Teases Making 3rd 'Home Sweet Christmas' Film in Europe Have there been moments when you questioned whether it was worth it to be so open about your religious beliefs? The Bible says to go out into the world and share the good news with others, to share the gospel. To deny that in any part of my life would be denying the very thing that I'm so appreciative of, which is Jesus. I cannot separate those two things, and so I walk boldly in that. Throughout that process, sometimes you take hits and people don't like you for it, but this is my life. I get to make my choices. Do you ever feel like your intentions are misunderstood? There are certainly things that have stuck with me. I don't want to give specifics, because I don't want them recycled in the news, and that's the part that's so difficult. But I definitely have felt misunderstood. Headlines and narratives have been written that are simply not truthful, and those things hurt because people believe them. I think that clickbait headlines are awful ... and yet, we're in a business where that's what happens, so we take the risk every time we do an interview. And I say "we" because I mean everybody, whether you're an actor, a musician, a business owner, a politician - anytime you give a public interview, you are at