Professional pickleball doesn’t have a true offseason like many other pro sports. It’s a year-round grind. However, the holiday season brings a welcome slowdown, giving players a chance to step away from the court, unwind, and spend quality time with friends and loved ones.

For Kate Fahey, the pause from competition meant something special: a honeymoon and the beginning of new traditions as she and her husband settled into married life.

“I’m most excited to get a Christmas tree for us. We still live in an apartment, but a little mini tree would be so fun to get,” said Fahey. “We’ve lived together for three years and we’ve never had a tree, so I’m looking forward to starting new traditions.”

Gabe Joseph and his new bride followed the Jenius Bank Pickleball World Championships with a honeymoon of their own, then returned home to host family members at their new house.

“We went to Maui for our honeymoon, then for Christmas we’re hosting at our house with family,” said Joseph. “We bought a house this year, so we’re so excited to put up the tree, decorate, host everybody and just have a full house. It’s so nice.”

Christian Alshon spent part of the holidays baking and decorating festive Christmas cookies.

Anna Leigh Waters and Anna Bright joined in the holiday spirit by baking Christmas cookies, too, and exchanging gifts.

Many of the pros used the break to travel, including Genie Bouchard, who appeared to be hopping to a different continent every other day.

Blaine Hovenier took a trip to Shanghai, China. 

Jorja, JW Johnson, and their family spent some restorative time at home in South Florida, kicking back and relaxing together.

“We live in Florida, so for Christmas it’s usually just our immediate family because we can’t get on another plane after all the travel we do during the year,” said Julie Johnson. “And we especially don’t want to go somewhere where it’s cold, but we have friends at home and we usually go play pickleball and eat a giant meal.”

Hannah Blatt and Grayson Goldin went to Breckenridge, CO to celebrate Christmastime on the slopes.

Coincidentally, Ben Johns and his family also headed to Breckenridge over the holidays for some skiing and snowboarding.

Allyce Jones and her family stayed home for Christmas, and while some pros chose to step away from the game, they shared that pickleball is still on the agenda—thanks to plenty of play on their beautiful backyard court.

For some pro pickleball families, the holidays are all about Christmas cheer and cherished traditions, especially for players who are parents to young children.

Notably, Jay Devilliers has been sharing his family’s creative Elf on the Shelf antics, bringing the magic of Christmas to life. UPA CEO Connor Pardoe and his family joined in the fun as well, even having their elves play pickleball.

Before the Florida Dairy Farmers Daytona Beach Open, Tammy and Martin Emmrich celebrated Hanukkah with their extended family and are looking forward to a short break from competition. This week, they’re hosting some additional out of town family members with relaxation and quality family time on the schedule.

“It doesn’t matter what you celebrate,” said Tammy. “As long as the family’s together.”