originally published: 11/14/2025
(PHILADELPHIA, PA) -- Jason Kelce, Lane Johnson, and Jordan Malata, team up as they present a music video for the very first song they recorded in 2022, "White Christmas." In the spirit of the season, The Philly Specials worked with local creators, Big Howl and Carol Cleveland Sings to create a magical, snow filled scene, where players and puppets alike celebrate the holiday season with singing, dancing, and even a snowball fight.
When puppet Jordan is missing home for the holidays, his pals Jason and Lane remind him of what the season is all about -- making new traditions with the people you love. Watch puppets, plushies, and the real guys collide in a joyful, Muppets-inspired take on "White Christmas."
The Philly Specials bring their annual magic for fans of all ages, adding to that feeling of home, nostalgia, and the holiday season. This music video aims to bring families together across generations and invites viewers to create new memories including The Philly Specials music in their own holiday traditions.
"In thinking of a way to celebrate three years of music making and how we could create something new to continue to spread joy, we went back to the very first song we recorded, "White Christmas," says album producer Charlie Hall. "Having previously explored traditional animation ("It's Christmas Time (In Cleveland Heights)" and stop-motion animation ('A Philly Special Christmas Special'), we thought we would use the centuries-old medium of puppetry to tell this story of friendship and fun during the holiday season.
"We approached our dear pal and Philly Specials contributor since day one, Thomas Hughes to help us create this new fantastical world for the guys to inhabit," continued Hall. "Thomas and Gretchen Lohse, his creative partner in Carol Cleveland Sings, partnered with Big Howl to bring this to life, even breaking the fourth wall with the guys, their puppets, and their plushies. Just as Jason, Jordan, and Lane continue to push the boundaries of expressing friendship, love, goodwill, and joy...puppet Jason, puppet Jordan, and puppet Lane amplified this."
Big Howl is an Emmy Award–winning, Philly-based production and directing studio known for its outlandish, handcrafted approach to storytelling. Mixing live action, puppetry, practical effects, animation, design, and fabrication, Big Howl makes things people will enjoy watching for clients like Comcast, Netflix, Hasbro, Amazon Music, and PBS (co-producing and directing WHYY's first national children's series, Albie's Elevator). Fueled by Philly's trademark creativity and grit, Big Howl turns any idea into something playful, beautiful, and fun.
A Philly Special Christmas, A Philly Special Christmas Special, and A Philly Special Christmas Party raised $10 million for local charities including Children's Crisis Treatment Center, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and fulfilled the wish lists of Philadelphia School District teachers via Donors Choose. The albums reached top ten spots on various Billboard Music Charts including debuting at #1 on their Independent Charts, Compilations Charts, and #2 on the Holiday Charts, singles "Maybe This Christmas" and "Santa Drives an Astrovan" reached #1 on the iTunes Holiday Charts, the albums featured performances from Stevie Nicks, Jon Bon Jovi, Patti LaBelle, Boyz II Men, Mt. Joy, Travis Kelce, Kylie Kelce, members of The Hooters, members of The War on Drugs (including album producer Charlie Hall), members of Dr. Dog, Marshall Allen and members of the Sun Ra Arkestra, Lady Alma and more.
Singles "This Christmas," "All I Want for Christmas is You," "Fairytale of Philadelphia," and "Pretty Paper," have garnered over 10M streams across platforms. "Fairytale of Philadelphia" reached #1 on iTunes, 50,000 copies have been sold on vinyl and the stop motion special created by unPOP Animation, A Philly Special Christmas Special, has been viewed over 780,000 times.
