Philly Special Christmas Returns With New Gift, But No New Album

The group that put together the Philly Special Christmas album — consisting of former Eagles center Jason Kelce and current offensive tackles Jordan Mailata and Lane Johnson — is launching Operation Snowball for a fourth year, continuing their charitable tradition to provide gifts to local kids during the holiday season.

This year, instead of a Christmas album, they're releasing a plush set inspired by their Philly Special Christmas efforts. The set features three plush dolls, ranging from 8.5 to 9.25 inches, in green knit holiday sweaters, each with the player's name and number. It will ship the week of Thanksgiving as part of a collector's edition sold through the official social media channels and their website.

The Holiday Huddle three-pack plush set is priced at $49.99 and is now available for preorder. Shipments are planned for the week of Thanksgiving. Proceeds benefit Philadelphia-area charities.

Operation Snowball started as a city-wide gift effort aimed at reaching more than 200,000 students and teachers across Philadelphia's public and charter schools. According to The Philadelphia Inquirer, The Philly Special effort raised over $4 million with their first two Christmas albums. Last year, the group used the proceeds from their third to launch Operation Snowball.

“Making music with my friends and donating to organizations committed to making the lives of Philadelphia families and students brighter during the holidays has been a highlight of the past three years," Jordan Mailata said to NBC 10 Philadelphia. “We are looking forward to bringing the joy back again this year with proceeds from the new plushies and a few other surprises.”

In addition to the plushies, Birds fans can purchase A Philly Special Box Set of all three albums on vinyl and CD, A Philly Special Christmas Party on vinyl and CD, and greeting cards.