Chicago Bears Super Bowl XX 1985 Walter Payton Mike Ditka Christmas Ornament

The final score was 46–10, and the greatest running back of his era did not score a touchdown. On January 26, 1986, at the Louisiana Superdome, Chicago overwhelmed the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XX, and Walter Payton watched teammates cross the goal line instead, among them the defensive lineman William "The Refrigerator" Perry.

It was one of the few things that went wrong in an almost perfect season. Richard Dent was named MVP, Buddy Ryan's 46 defense smothered everything in front of it, and Mike Ditka paced the sideline in his sweater vest and tie as if he had expected nothing less.

Payton with the ball, Ditka with his fist in the air and the Lombardi Trophy between them.

The 1985 Bears were a season-long event

Chicago went 15–1 in the regular season, losing only to Miami, and then did not allow a single point in two NFC playoff games. The team was so sure of itself that the players recorded "The Super Bowl Shuffle" in December 1985, weeks before they had won anything at all.

Ditka set the tone. A former Bears tight end turned head coach, he coached the way he had played, with a fist raised and no interest in subtlety. On the ornament he has his arm around his star running back and his other fist pumping toward the ceiling, the pose of a man who has just seen his city's long wait end.

A fan grins at the ornament before it goes on the tree.

Up close: the No. 34, the Bears sweater vest and the Super Bowl XX 1985 plaque.

Walter Payton belongs at the center of this scene

They called him Sweetness, and the nickname described the man as much as the running style. Payton wore No. 34 for thirteen seasons, all of them in Chicago, and retired in 1987 as the NFL's all-time leading rusher. He died on November 1, 1999, at just 45, and the league's highest honor for service off the field, the Walter Payton Man of the Year award, now carries his name.

The box score from New Orleans left him out. This ornament puts him exactly where Chicago always saw him, ball tucked under his arm, in the middle of the celebration.

Payton charges forward with the ball, Ditka roars beside him, and the silver trophy stands between them on a base trimmed with holly, a red bow and the wishbone C. Fans who were in the Superdome and fans who only know the story from their parents read the scene the same way.

Hanging it on a branch among the red baubles.

A Chicago tree is the right home for it

Hang it in a house where 1985 still comes up at every holiday dinner, or give it to the dad who taught you the Shuffle. Four decades on, it keeps the coach, the runner and the trophy together on a single branch.

Younger fans have their own heroes now. For them, our Rome Odunze match-day jersey carries the story forward.

Under the tree lights, the silver trophy catches every twinkle.

Written by Nadia Marsh, Collectibles Specialist at DoesignUs.