As exciting as it was for viewers (and Netflix) to get to see NFL football on Christmas Day in this first-of-its-kind event, the reality of making teams play on a rare midweek Wednesday game quickly set in, and the actual play on the field in Chiefs-Steelers, and the first half of Ravens-Texans, was understandably sloppy and forgettable. Luckily for Netflix, the biggest superstar on the field — Beyoncé — came to the stage for a halftime performance that was easily the highlight of the entire NFL on Netflix experience… and she even brought friends!

Anticipation was high for Queen Bey, with many non-football fans voicing their excitement about tuning in on social media before, during and after her performance.

Commentator Greg Olson even made a joke about his excitement to get to the Beyoncé halftime show late in the first half, as Baltimore built to a 17-2 lead over Houston at the end of the second quarter (which apparently was the first such halftime score of its kind, another factoid Olson joked about in his valiant effort to find something of interest from this game).

The halftime show also gave Beyoncé a chance to change the narrative surrounding her family of late. In recent weeks the spotlight has been on Beyonce's husband Jay-Z as he deals with the fallout from a lawsuit accusing him and Sean Combs of assaulting a 13-year-old girl in 2000.

Beyoncé didn't shy away from the family name, wearing an Americana-themed sash along with many of her backup singers and dancers that said that proudly brandished her “Cowboy Carter” moniker from her latest country-themed album.

Beyoncé entered the field on a white horse, surrounded by cowboys and cowgirls, some clad in bandana masks — and there are far too many references and metaphors to unpack here on first glance, so we'll leave that to the Beyhive.

But a few poignant songs from the performance stood out. As Manti Te'o noted afterward in the halftime show, singing “Blackbird” was pretty apropos as the Ravens dominated everything on the field in the first half, but Beyoncé surely had her own personal reasons for including it.

Nancy Sinatra's “These Boots Were Made For Walking” rendition was also moving (and potentially telling), as the public waits with bated breath for Beyoncé's reactions to the lawsuit allegations.

There was also the obligatory duet with the suddenly in-demand diva collaborator Post Malone (the only known Magic the Gathering card collector who gets to sing with Beyoncé and Taylor Swift!). Red hot Shaboozey and Beyoncé's daughter Blue Ivy also made cameos.

Dolly Parton's Jolene also got the Beyoncé treatment to rousing effect.

And as always, Beyoncé ended with a bang — quite literally, in this case, with a sign that read “Bang!” as she stood in front of a large cross in keeping with the holiday.

In short, Beyoncé slayed as always, while the rest of the inaugural NFL on Netflix broadcast was largely forgettable. But in the interest of being grateful on the holiday, let's stay positive and focus on the fact that getting to see Beyoncé on Christmas is a gift in itself.