Written By Jeffrey Reed
No matter what your age, the Christmas holidays are sure to bring back childhood memories – and for many of us, they involve hobbies that have stuck with us for a lifetime. Since my early teen years, I’ve collected sports memorabilia, restored vintage CB radios and built plastic models. In fact, since the recent pandemic, all three of those hobbies have seen significant growth.
A 2025 report from research firm Market Decipher says today’s $34-billion US global sports memorabilia market – a record number – will grow to $271 billion US by 2034. Fueled by our emotional attachment – new and nostalgic – to athletes and teams, the market saw a big boost during the COVID-19 pandemic when we returned to our favourite hobbies. I’ve recently completed my collection of Original Six hockey sweaters – home and away.
Don’t look now, but CB Radio communication is seeing huge growth – not like the mid-1970s to early-1980s phenomenon, but big enough to see recent sales climb higher than anytime during the past 30 years, according to retailers and manufacturers. In fact, CBs never disappeared like 8-track sound and Betamax/VHS movies. But since the pandemic, two things have happened: manufacturers like President Electronics have introduced new features including FM mode; and we’ve rediscovered a fun, affordable way to communicate from home and on the road. Strathroy-Mt. Brydges CB hobbyists are often found on Single Sideband channel lower 36, if you wish to join in.
As a kid, I built an endless number of plastic models – mostly trucks and cars, but also horror figures and superheroes. Assembling, gluing, painting and detailing scale models – 1/24 and 1/25 scale plastic automobiles, for example – is once again one of the fastest-growing hobbies, with global interest amongst everyone from pre-teens to great-grandparents.
According to Aaron Skinner, senior editor at FineScale Modeler magazine, assembling models is “not only a good way to de-stress at the end of the day, but it’s also good therapy in that it gives you something to focus on instead of day-to-day issues.” Skinner defined plastic modelling as a “solitary enterprise, something you can do at home. You don’t need a lot of space. By and large you can get your supplies online, so you don’t need access to a (bricks and mortar) store. It’s a hobby that lent itself to the (recent) pandemic shutdown and stay-at-home orders.”
Pickleball and thrifting are two of the biggest hobbies on the rise – pickleball born from an aging demographic, thrifting from a struggling economy. Yet at this time of the year, I reminisce about skating on frozen Fanshawe Lake, playing street hockey and tobogganing during the Holiday season – and indoors, building models, playing with radios and trading bubblegum cards.
Indeed, hobbies are for the young at heart.
Award-winning writer
Jeffrey Reed has covered Middlesex County sports since 1980. He is publisher and editor of LondonOntarioSports.com. Reach him at
jeff@londonontariosports.com.
