"We've never been to a Bears game. First time. First time!" April Gonzalez said.
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Spirits were high on Saturday afternoon as fans packed into Soldier Field.
"We bought the tickets and I would've felt bad not coming. But, you know, it's Christmas Eve. It's noon! You got to come!" Brian Newell said.
Their loyalty was steadfast in the bitter cold, extreme temperatures and dangerous wind.
"It was for his birthday, but I bought them in September. And last Christmas, it was 48 degrees," April Cichon said.
Temperatures were at a whopping 12 degrees for most of the game and wind chills were well below zero.
"Even in the cold, they were so excited. I'm like are you sure even with the coldest game of the year? Or ever, isn't it? Yeah. Coldest game the Bears ever played in," Jameson Turner said.
People were tailgating, eating and, of course, hydrating.
"When you saw the wind chill, the temperature, that didn't scare you away?" asked ABC7' Stephanie Wade.
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"No. Oh, yeah it did," Gonzalez said. "But, I'm ready. I have like eight layers on, so I'm pretty good. And alcohol helps, so, you know."
But when the Bears were down, and the writing was on the wall in the second half, folks were seen leaving the stadium early.
"Just too cold. Hands and feet are just freezing," Paul Mitchell said.
Dan Rinaldi also weighed in, laughing as he said, "We have Christmas activities. My wife will kill me if we got home late."
"It was cold inside, but you know what? Everybody had a good cheer and it was warm and fun and we just stayed close and huddled. It was awesome," Tiffany Johnson said.
After the Bears' 35-13 eventual loss against the Buffalo Bills, ABC7 had to ask fans if it was worth it.
"It was a cold, but fun game and we knew what we were coming for. So that was awesome. Was it worth it? Yes. Yes, very much so," Tiffany Johnson said.
"I think it was good," Chase Foster said.
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Charlie Bender said it was worth it to attend his first game, adding that "it was fun to watch."
"Yeah, because it was fun to watch the game," Bender said.
"You can go to the Bears game, you can not go to the Bears game. It's always better to go to the Bears game," Alex Luce concluded.
It was a Christmas Eve game to remember.
"How many people get to say they did this?" Newell said.
"Few years from now, our kids will ask us, 'what's the craziest thing you've ever done?' Look where we are. We're here," Gonzalez said, laughing.
That's the right attitude to have, especially for those first-timers. It's a game they surely won't forget.
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