Inside the NFL Films studio in New Jersey, about 40 kids from the Philadelphia Children’s Alliance and their families gathered around celebrating the holidays.
They danced to music, mingled, and then all of the sudden Lane Johnson and Jordan Mailata walked through the doors, followed by Jason Kelce later in the night.
The gathering was a celebration put on by The Philly Specials — Kelce, Johnson, and Mailata’s singing group. The trio has made multiple Christmas albums in year’s past but didn’t come out with a new one in 2025. Instead, they sold plushie dolls of the group and used those proceeds to host Operation Snowball at NFL Films.
“It’s always been bigger than us, man. It’s always been about giving back to the community, to the kids,” Mailata said. “It hasn’t been about the singing, as good and as fun as it’s been. It’s always been about how can we help someone else. How can we enrich the lives of our youth in Philadelphia? That’s what it’s been about.
“Today, I guess it’s a combination of all the albums that we put together and just putting on something fun, something light-hearted for the kids that they can enjoy. We didn’t come out with the album this year, so this is just our way of giving back to the community again, this year, on a smaller note. Something more intimate. It’s one of those ways we’re giving back because it’s always been bigger than us.”