Behind the Scenes: Filming Holiday Touchdown: A Bears Love Story | by Gabby Hajduk

Hallmark Media, NFL and Skydance Sports worked with the Bears over the last several months to film and produce "Holiday Touchdown: A Bears Love Story" – the third all-new original movie in the franchise – which premiered Saturday as part of Hallmark Channel's 17th annual Countdown to Christmas.

The film features various Bears players, front office staff, alumni, and even head coach Ben Johnson, all of whom participated in the filming alongside the main cast at iconic Chicagoland locations, including Soldier Field, a makeshift Christkindlmarket downtown, and Halas Hall. ChicagoBears.com documented the Bears' involvement in the film, which premieres at 7 p.m. (CT) Saturday on Hallmark Channel, streaming the next day on Hallmark+.

Throughout July, at the peak of Chicago's summer, pockets of the city became winter wonderlands. An 80-degree Tuesday transformed into a frigid Bears game day. A humid, buggy Friday evening became a cozy, family-filled Christmas dinner party.

That is the magic of a Hallmark film.

Between fake snow lining the sidewalks and tailgate lots around Soldier Field, extras donning their heaviest winter Bears gear in an empty stadium, local businesses gathering in the heart of downtown with their full setups to host a Christmas market and loads of Christmas decorations being delivered to a brownstone home in the Logan Square neighborhood, no detail was missed during the filming of "Holiday Touchdown: A Bears Love Story."​

Most importantly, that same level of detail captured the essence of Chicago and the Bears organization.

"We're incredibly grateful to the entire Chicago Bears organization for welcoming Hallmark with such open arms throughout the course of this partnership,"  Samantha DiPippo, Hallmark senior vice president of programming and content innovation, said. "This film is so special because it was created with an immense focus on family, community, and connection – the same themes we value most in Hallmark storytelling.

"We've felt the love and support every step of the way, and we are so proud of the finished product, which is our love letter to the City of Chicago, football and the people and Christmas traditions that matter most."

Across days of filming at Soldier Field, a makeshift Christkindlmarket, a local firehouse and Halas Hall, the Bears were present both behind the scenes and in front of the cameras.

Filming at Soldier Field began July 7. The cast, including Robert Buckley (Matt), Lyndsy Fonseca (Avery), and Marsha Mason (Darlene), was welcomed to the stadium for the first time to film a series of flashback scenes and create social media content.

Growing up, Buckley identified more as a casual football fan, but in recent years has become more invested due to playing fantasy football. He started following the Bears last season after drafting tight end Colston Loveland. Once he got the role with Hallmark, he knew it was destiny.

"Chicago was one of like three teams that I actively paid attention to prior to this, because they're an exciting, young team," Buckley said. "So, everything aligned perfectly. I was like, 'Oh, I already know this team.' I love the city, so it was a no-brainer that I'm just going to be a Bears fan."

Fonseca also has Chicago ties, as she grew up visiting her cousins in Highland Park and often came in for holidays. While she is a staple in the Hallmark universe, joining the NFL world is an exciting new experience for her.

"This will be my sixth Hallmark movie, and I've had such great experiences with them so far," Fonseca said. "This is so different and new, and it's always fun to do something new. And I think, honestly, there are two things that bring people and families together: the arts and sports. And so, doing both in one movie, sign me up."

The following day, July 8, was the main cast's shoot day at Soldier Field, where they filmed multiple scenes, from the pregame tailgates to the grand surprise for Darlene's 500th Bears game.

Although the surprise comes last in the movie, it was filmed first. Soldier Field's Skyline Suite was filled with holiday décor, real gameday food like sliders, dips, and sweets, plus the main cast, dozens of extras and crew members, including multiple hair and makeup artists and wardrobe consultants, to keep everyone movie-ready for every take.

The scene features cameos from Bears legends Mike Singletary and Charles "Peanut" Tillman, who surprise Marsha at her celebration, congratulating her on attending 500 Bears games and thanking her for her loyal fandom.

Because so many people were involved in this scene, it had to be shot from several angles, each requiring quick rehearsals and multiple takes.

"This is great," Tillman said. "The Bears logo, that NFL shield, it means a lot to a lot of people, and it's been around for a really long time, so to have this movie, to be in this movie, I think it's going to be pretty cool, especially around the holiday season. Hopefully it brings some holiday cheer and brings some people together. I hope that's what they're shooting for and what they're going with. I'm excited to see it come to life."

As is typical for both former Bears players, the pair huddled between takes to workshop their lines and the timing of their delivery as they aimed for perfection in their Hallmark debuts.

"Peanut, he's a natural, and you want him to be in a movie and do something fun," Singletary said. "He's gonna blow you away. And that's his strength."

While Tillman may have more experience in front of the camera than Singletary, working alongside the Super Bowl-winning Hall of Fame linebacker in a different space than usual was unforgettable.

"Anytime you can share the spotlight, the stage, the field, just being in the same room as Mike — that's one of the greatest linebackers to ever play the game," Tillman said. "He's got a gold jacket, something I strive to get. I just like being around the Hall of Famers. And we have so many of them. He's just an outstanding person, amazing individual."

Throughout the film, Bears staff members appear as extras. At Soldier Field, they were cast as Bears fans in their best gear. The opportunity to potentially be seen in a Hallmark film and experience such a fun production felt like a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for staff.

"We had a lot of the Bears employees here, a lot of coworkers here, so it was fun just talking about how awesome this whole thing was," director of financial planning & analysis James McCaskey said. "You don't really get to shoot Hallmark movies often. So, definitely wanted to take advantage of the opportunity. Just being able to connect with people that I don't really do as much with on a daily basis in a unique setting like this and being in a movie together, that's incredible.

Filming for the first scene wrapped around 3 p.m., and before Tillman took off, he met Jake Connelly, a Chicagoland native, die-hard Bears fan and actor best known for playing Derek in Season 5 of Stranger Things, who was on site to star in the tailgate scene alongside the main cast. Connelly, who was born and raised in Arlington Heights, identified Tillman and Singletary as two of his all-time favorite Bears.

"When my mom was in the middle of telling me that I had gotten offered to be in this movie, I had already known about it before, but I didn't even let her finish her sentence before I said yes," Connelly said. "It was just a dream come true for me. I cannot believe it.

"And It's just such an honor to be mentioned in the same breath as either Peanut Tillman or Samurai Mike. It's just such an amazing experience."

After lunch, filming for the tailgate scene began. Hundreds of Bears fans signed up as extras, many bringing their real tailgate setups to Soldier Field that summer afternoon. From Bears-themed buses and vans to countless pieces of team memorabilia and a Bearman appearance, the crew created an authentic pregame tailgate vibe, even though the 2026 season wasn't set to kick off for nearly two months.

Bill Flores, a lifelong Bears fan from Chicago and Season Ticket Holder, was selected to be in the film along with his Bears van, which he typically sets up in a lot off Harris and Wabash on the morning of home games.

"I mean, this opportunity is great," Flores said. "I'm from Chicago. I got my season tickets because I'm a Chicago iron worker. I helped build the stadium. So ever since that, I've been coming to home games. I love tailgating all the time — my kids and my wife are all involved in it now. It's awesome.

Five days later, the Bears were back on set with Hallmark, this time downtown at a mini version of the iconic Christkindlmarket that comes to Chicago every holiday season. The main cast was joined by Loveland and former Bears defensive lineman Dan Hampton, both of whom are featured in the film.

"It's fantastic," Hampton said. "C'mon, it's a great setting in one of the greatest cities in the world, and everybody knows, if you can't get the Christmas spirit in Chicago in December, then something's wrong. I love the fact that they wanted to make this movie, and it's a love story with a Bears football backdrop. I mean, it's a win-win."

Loveland and Hampton filmed a quick scene where they walk up to Matt and Avery and ask where they bought the giant pretzels they're holding. Starstruck by Loveland, Matt struggles to find the words, while Avery gladly shares where they bought them.

"It's been super cool experiencing this," Loveland said. "You can tell they're professionals – just coming in with all their lines obviously memorized, the passion they have, and the ability to say certain lines and adjust while filming. I think that's similar to our jobs as professional athletes, just needing to adjust to certain things, knowing a lot going into the game. It's just crazy because I don't even know if they're acting when they're talking to us – you can never tell."

Loveland and Hampton return later in the scene after sticking around for the bags tournament, where they meet Jody, played by Barbara Alyn Woods, who was born and raised in south suburban Darien and has remained a proud Bears fan.

"When I heard about this job in general," Woods said, "my manager called me and he said, 'I've got two words for you, and then you can say yes or no.' He said, 'Chicago.' And I already said yes, then 'Bears.'  Yes, yes, yes. I don't care what it is, I'm doing it. My whole family is still here. They're all over in the suburbs, and some downtown. It's just pretty incredible.

"It's surreal to be back here to work. I mean, I just want to keep taking pictures. I'm sending pictures to my family. I mean, Mike Singletary, come on. I was here in 1985 when they won the Super Bowl. I was living downtown, and Chicago has never seen a day like that. It was incredible."

Bears vice president Patrick McCaskey was also featured in the film as a fire chief, shooting at a local fire station with the Hallmark crew.

A generous pair of Bears Season Ticket Holders, longtime Bears Care supporters and Hallmark fans, Julia and Ken Wegner, spent an evening on set with Hallmark, where they took part in the holiday dinner party scene. As a surprise for Julia, Ken donated to Bears Care, which gave them the opportunity to appear in the film as walk-on extras.

Julia and Ken spent hours filming in the Logan Square neighborhood with the main cast, combining two of their favorite pastimes, the Bears and Hallmark.

On July 17, the Bears then welcomed the Hallmark and Skydance crews to Halas Hall for a full day of filming, starting with a couple of scenes around the building and inside the Walter Payton Center that featured Buckey and Fonseca as well as Bears employees, including senior vice president of security John Tarpey serving as the receptionist.

The main scene was a "Bears Bearing Gifts" party, a charity event hosted by Bears Care, the organization's charitable arm. The event was similar in nature to the annual Bears Care Gala.

The event scene features a handful of stars, including coach Ben Johnson and his wife, Jessica, tight end Cole Kmet, Connie Payton, Katie Poles, wife of general manager Ryan Poles, and mascot Staley Da Bear, along with several Bears staff members who posed as partygoers.

The moment was a full-circle one for the Johnsons, who are Hallmark fans. Back when the couple lived in Miami while Ben was a coach with the Dolphins, they spent date nights watching Hallmark films.

"It'll be pretty special for us to watch the movie as a family," Ben said. "We might not be able to during the season, but in the offseason, it'll be pretty sweet.

"I actually can't believe this happened, and I can't wait to watch the whole story play out, and see Ben and me in it, and get to show our kids," Jessica said. "Everyone was just having a good time. And everyone was really relaxed and friendly, and just made us feel welcome, even when you're like, 'I have no idea what I'm doing.'"

Johnson and Kmet also enjoyed making their acting debuts side by side, joking about who had the better acting skills.

"It was pretty funny to see his acting skills on display," Kmet said of Johnson. "I didn't realize that he was taking a bunch of acting lessons all season. I thought he was upstairs, drawing stuff up this whole time, but really, he was just taking all these acting classes. So, it was really cool to see that go into effect."

Much like the other scenes in the film, the inclusion of Bears staff members from all across the organization added a unique touch to the Hallmark film and provided staff with a memorable experience.

"When I think of Hallmark, I think of the nostalgia of wandering the aisles, taking the time to find just the right way to express how you feel about someone," said Bears vice president of social and digital content strategy Pooja Van Dyke. "Hallmark's superpower is making the ordinary feel special. I would like to think the Chicago Bears share that same superpower. We both aim to deliver joy, memories and connection, and creating this film truly feels like sending a giant Hallmark card to our Bears fanbase."