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Jordan Mailata’s duet with Lady Alma kicked off a day of Eagles Thanksgiving treats

From Jordan Mailata's performance during the parade broadcast, to a midnight song drop, to a stop-motion video release, the Eagles are our favorite birds this Thanksgiving.

Eagles lineman Jordan Mailata in the recording studio during the making of 'A Philly Special Christmas' last year. The album raised $1.25 million for charity.
Eagles lineman Jordan Mailata in the recording studio during the making of 'A Philly Special Christmas' last year. The album raised $1.25 million for charity.Read more9.14 Pictures

This Thanksgiving, the Eagles landed hours before the turkeys made their appearances on our tables.

As floats and performers marched from John F. Kennedy Boulevard and the Benjamin Franklin Parkway to the Philadelphia Museum of Art, for the Philadelphia Thanksgiving Parade, Eagles offensive tackle Jordan Mailata appeared on our TV screens along with Lady Alma, the R&B house music legend. Lady Alma appeared in a shimmery overcoat over her all-white ensemble while Mailata seemed to have traded in his jersey for a black, white, and green Eagles-themed Christmas sweater.

Surrounded by Christmas trees and a tower of wrapped presents, the duo stood on fake snow singing “Merry Christmas Baby” — an encore of their duet on last year’s Eagles Christmas Album, A Philly Special Christmas. Mailata started off singing “I’ve got music on my radio/ I feel like I’m gonna kiss you/ Standing beneath that mistletoe” to a swaying Lady Alma providing backup vocals.

The offensive tackle then took charge with “Santa came down the chimney/ Half past three, y’all,” looking at his make-believe wristwatch. After Mailata hit some high notes, Lady Alma picked up the mic while the Eagle swayed and clapped. He crooned along, following up Lady Alma’s “Merry Christmas, baby/ Sure did treat me nice,” with a “I know you love me baby.” Lady Alma, obviously, affirmed with a “Yes, I do.”

Although short, the performance ended with Mailata forming a heart with his fingers and looking at Lady Alma, the perfect warm and fuzzy way to kick-start to the holiday season.

The performance isn’t the only Eagles-themed holiday goodness we’re receiving this weekend.

At midnight, the singing Birds will drop their latest musical offering for this year’s Eagles Christmas album, A Philly Special Christmas Special.

This week, Lane Johnson, the Eagles All-Pro right tackle uses his Texas baritone to sing Willie Nelson’s “Pretty Papers,” backed up by Katie Crutchfield, the former Philadelphian who performs as Waxahatchee.

This week’s drop will definitely be calmer than last week’s when Chiefs tight end (and Taylor Swift’s boyfriend) Travis Kelce joined his brother Jason Kelce on “Fairytale of Philadelphia,” a Philly-themed rewrite of the Pogues’ “Fairytale of New York.”

» READ MORE: Every new song from the Eagles’ ‘A Philly Special Christmas Special’ reviewed. As they’re released.

And at 8 p.m. on Thursday, the stop-motion animation A Philly Special Christmas Special will premiere on the A Philly Special Christmas Special YouTube page. The video, which promises to be a delight, features puppets of the Eagles singing offensive linemen trying to rally friends for a holiday show.

Philadelphia animation studio unPOP handcrafted 20 puppets for the video, which cofounders Peter Heacock and Marie Hart “spent more than 5,000 hours, over five months, to complete the video,” The Inquirer previously reported.

The soundtrack for the nine-minute film will be provided by A Philly Special Christmas Special songs, including Mailata with Patti LaBelle on “This Christmas,” and Kelce on the soon-to-be released “Dominick the Donkey.”