What’s New

The Kansas City Chiefs are planning to spread Christmas cheer with the help of some of its biggest stars.

On Tuesday, the NFL team announced its plans to air the silent Claymation short film A Kingdom Christmas Story: Hail Merry, which features some of its players. Among the film’s stars are quarterback Patrick Mahomes and tight end Travis Kelce.

Other players involved in the 90-second film are Chris Jones, Isiah Pacheco, George Karlaftis and Trent McDuffie.

The Chiefs’ Christmas short follows its full-length film, Holiday Touchdown: A Chiefs Love Story, which was made in collaboration with the Hallmark Channel and premiered last month as part of the network’s Countdown to Christmas programming.

Why It Matters

The Chiefs are having a stellar season after winning the past two Super Bowls and are hoping to become the first team to lift the trophy three years in a row.

Following some tight games, the Chiefs returned to a confident form and secured yet another playoff spot after defeating the Las Vegas Raiders on Black Friday.

The team is also involved in a gamble by the NFL and Netflix to broadcast two games live on Christmas Day. The Chiefs are set to play the Pittsburgh Steelers at 1 p.m., while the Houston Texans are scheduled to play the Baltimore Ravens later in the day.

What To Know

The short film begins with the “delightfully unexpected bounce of a football,” the Chiefs said in the announcement, and the players are tasked with saving Christmas by “bringing a busy family together around a Chiefs game, empowering all to believe in their dreams and the magic of the season.”

What People Are Saying

Lara Krug, the chief media and marketing officer for the Chiefs, told Newsweek: “Christmas is such a magical time, and our team was looking for a way to deliver something special for all of Chiefs Kingdom before our Christmas Day game streaming worldwide on Netflix.

“The Claymation style elicits a nostalgic feeling, and we think many people will be able to relate to some of the family scenes that are featured in the short. We are all very proud of this original program and look forward to our fans being able to enjoy a memorable Chiefs story on Christmas Eve.”

What Happens Next

The Claymation short is scheduled to premiere on the Chiefs’ official YouTube channel and social accounts at 6 p.m. CT on December 24, ahead of the team’s Christmas Day game streaming live on Netflix.