Hallmark’s Christmas Workshop: On the Set of ‘Holiday Touchdown: A Bears Love Story’

Hallmark filmed *Holiday Touchdown: A Bears Love Story* in Chicago during July’s stifling heat, with wildfire smoke affecting air quality on some days. The production is the third in Hallmark’s partnership with the NFL and Skydance Sports, combining a Christmas romance with real team locations and community outreach.

The film stars Lyndsy Fonseca as a reporter assigned to profile Bears superfan Darlene Donnelly, whose grandson Matt, played by Robert Buckley, has campaigned for the story. Their meeting leads to a romance as Matt shows Avery around Chicago. The movie features a charity auction for Bears Care at the team’s Halas Hall and premieres on 17 October as the centrepiece of the opening weekend of Hallmark’s 2026 Christmas programming.