Silvy: When it comes to celebrating this Bears team, don’t hold back

Merry Christmas, Bears fans.

For the first time in a while, it is a merry football season and a happy playoff year.

How many people did you hug last Saturday night? Joyous, glorious hugs even from strangers because of what we witnessed. Whether it was at Soldier Field or at a bar, you embraced someone that you never met before and may never see again.

How many texts did you send to friends celebrating the most memorable Bears regular-season win, maybe ever?

How much trash talk have you done to a Packers fan you know after they laughed at our team for decades? Own this.

How many times did you watch the highlight of Caleb Williams to DJ Moore for the walk-off game-winning score in what is arguably the most memorable pass in Bears modern-day history?

How many places have you gone in the past few days and small talk surrounded our favorite football team? As I’m writing this column at a Northbrook Starbucks, the baristas are enthusiastically discussing the game days later.

Few things bond the city like the Bears. There’s a different energy that pulsates from the North side to the South side and through the suburbs when the Bears are actually good. There’s a pride we haven’t felt for a while, and it’s amazing to share with those closest to us.

After the Jahdae Walker score, my 9-year-old son Facetimed me with excitement that I will never forget.

Once the Bears won, I returned the favor, and we were happily yelling at each other. Soldier Field was so loud, I could not make out one of Braxton’s words, but I absorbed every ounce of his exhilaration. It’s the first winning season of my sons’ comprehensible lives.

I laugh every time I hear how lucky the 2025 Bears are getting.

This is the franchise that lost a coin flip for the right to draft Terry Bradshaw. This is a club that watched Gayle Sayers retire at 28 years old because of injuries.

This is an organization that was eliminated from the playoffs because of a double doink. This is a team that lost a game last year because of a Hail Mary. And on a blocked field goal. And because the coach forgot to use a timeout.

This is a fan base that had to constantly hear about drafting Mitch Trubisky instead of Patrick Mahomes.

It’s about damn time the Bears got some breaks. We deserve this, Bears fans. Apologize for nothing. You’ve endured losing streaks of 14 and 10 games in the past three years.

I’d also argue that every team in every sport gets its fair share of breaks during a season but isn’t always equipped to take advantage of them. This Bears team made calculated moves to allow the organization to finally thrive on the field. Kevin Warren has had his fair share of criticism for the stadium situation, but if he’s not at Halas Hall, I don’t believe the Bears land Ben Johnson. Without Johnson this magical season doesn’t happen.

Williams is living up to the pre-draft hype. The talk of him not wanting to be here, or his nail polish, or a lack of work ethic have disappeared and been replaced by highlight reels we’ve never experienced from a Bears quarterback. His two touchdown passes to Moore in the last two weeks are throws not even a handful of current QBs can make. There is no more toxic debate about making a mistake over parting with Justin Fields that divided the best fanbase in football. There is no more talk about Jayden Daniels vs. Williams.

We have an assassin at quarterback who has the killer gene like Michael Jordan or Kobe Bryant. Sure, Williams still has a ways to go before he becomes a complete player, but he possesses something that can’t be taught. The bigger the moment, the better he gets.

Williams isn’t scared of failure. He was put through the wringer last season and came out better because of it. Williams had a chance to win the game in Green Bay, but threw an interception. Two weeks later, he threw a touchdown pass that will be etched in our brains forever.

Clinching the playoffs is good, winning the division would be better, and hoisting a Super Bowl trophy would be best. And there’s now a possibility of that happening this year.

Happy holidays, Bears fans.

• Marc Silverman shares his opinions on the Bears weekly for Shaw Local. Tune in and listen to the “Waddle & Silvy” show weekdays from 2 to 6 p.m. on ESPN 1000.