Every Christmas season, I pose the same question to my dad: “If classic Christmas movie characters competed in a pickleball tournament, who would win?” What follows is always a spirited debate, with a champion ultimately crowned based on each character’s traits and personality.

For the past two years, the fictional tournament has featured iconic Christmas cartoon characters such as the Grinch, the Peanuts gang, the Claymation Santa Claus crew, and the dreaded Abominable Snow Monster from Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.

This year, I wondered how famous Christmas movie couples would perform in mixed doubles, so the third annual North Pole Pickleball Tournament will feature some of the most polarizing tandems from classic Christmas movies.

Clark and Ellen Griswold from National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation claim the number one seed. But Clark’s brother, Uncle Eddie, and his wife Catherine made a surprise appearance, signing up at the last minute to compete.

Their highly competitive, shiny–suit-wearing neighbors Todd and Margo are also in the field.

Buddy the Elf and Jovie from Elf enter the tournament as the sixth seed.

The Grinch and Martha May Whovier from How the Grinch Stole Christmas traveled all the way from Whoville to compete. They’ll face Brad and Kate from Four Christmases, along with Brad’s wrestling brother and his pregnant wife. Don’t worry, Susan’s pregnancy won’t slow down her fierce gameplay.

The final entry goes to Scott Calvin and Carol Newman from The Santa Clause franchise—better known as Santa and Mrs. Clause. After all, it wouldn’t be Christmas without an appearance from Father Christmas himself.

Unfortunately, the couple from the new A Pickleball Christmas movie was left out of the tournament. We all know they’d be the Ben Johns and Anna Leigh Waters of the field, absolutely dominant, and it just wouldn’t be fair to everyone else.

In the first round, Clark and Ellen Griswold take down Santa Claus and his missus—clearly unconcerned about getting coal for Christmas. And while Uncle Eddie and his partner Catherine were fan favorites, their opponents from Four Christmases, Denver and Susan, kept targeting Catherine, knocking them out of the tournament.

Uncle Eddie promptly took a seat on Clark’s bench, where he offered plenty of unwanted pickleball advice to Clark and Ellen Griswold.

On the other side of the bracket, Brad and Kate cruised to an easy win over the Grinch and Martha May. Martha May’s outrageous court fashion kept getting in the way, and honestly, the Grinch and Martha seemed like two lovestruck Whos, too distracted by each other to focus on the game.

Todd and Margo from Christmas Vacation arrived in their shiny sweat suits, taking the game very seriously and showing some of the best strategy we’ve ever seen at the North Pole. Meanwhile, Jovie from Elf played like a pro in the making, but her partner Buddy was too busy singing in the middle of points. After a technical warning for excessive Christmas caroling, Todd and Margo ran away with the victory.

In the semis, the Griswolds faced off against Denver and Susan from  Four Christmases, and Ellen Griswold’s sharp wit stole the show. She simply outsmarted the fourth seeds with ease.

Meanwhile, Kate and Brad’s semifinal match against the Griswolds’ neighbors was a masterclass in partner communication and grit. The neighbors, however, were such sore losers that Margo had a major meltdown, even threatening divorce after Todd embarrassingly whiffed on a ball. As a consolation, they’ll be receiving a signed copy of In a Pickle: How to Master Love, Pickleball, and Not Kill Each Other.

But it all came down to the finals: Clark and Ellen Griswold versus Brad and Kate. Brad and Kate had been steady throughout the tournament, but the Griswolds’ unmatched chemistry gave them the edge.

In the end, Clark and Ellen claimed the gold, thanks to his jaw-dropping trick shots—including a down-the-line tweener that left their opponents reeling—and her brilliant strategy. Truly, it was a Christmas miracle the ball even stayed in play.

As part of their victory, Clark and Ellen Griswold won an all-expenses-paid vacation to the pickleball getaway of their choice (sorry, Wallyworld is excluded) and a lifetime supply of pickle jelly, which Uncle Eddie happily accepted on Clark’s behalf. Congratulations to the North Pole’s newest pickleball champions!

Happy Holidays from Pickleball.com!