Hobby Thread - December 27, 2025 [TRex]

Welcome hobbyists! Pull up a chair and sit a spell with the Horde in this little corner of the interweb. This is the mighty, mighty officially sanctioned Ace of Spades Hobby Thread. This is the LAST HOBBY THREAD of 2025!!

I started to write some words in recognition of the year-end thread. Part way through, I began to realize that my words felt familiar. After puzzling a bit, I went back and looked at what I wrote for the same occasion last year. What do you know? I sound a lot like myself.

With apologies for the replay, I'll echo what I wrote last year. The same sentiments are applicable for 2025.

TRex treasures the people who make things happen. Hobbyists are the makers, the creators, the crafters, the builders, the designers, and the visionaries. You are those people. Thank you for being here. Thank you for sharing and contributing. Thank you for encouraging others. Thank you for the notes (especially from shy lurkers who are kind enough to pop in periodically to affirm their existence).

Inspiration is a wonderful part of the Hobby Thread. It happens when someone is inspired and takes action. It might be to pick up a forgotten project, attempt a build, or learn something new. TRex respects those with a bias towards action and the bravery and humility involved in tackling something new.

Another fun part of the Hobby Thread is connections between Gray Box friends through shared memories and interests. The Horde is a collection of oddballs, but there are likely to be some among the Horde that resonate with each other. If not, at least the Horde will sympathize and empathize and offer encouragement and support.

Thank you for being among the Horde and thank you for being involved with the Hobby Thread. A special prayer for those among the Horde that are struggling with loss, health challenges, or the other weirdness that life can produce. No Hordeling is ever alone. Shoot me an email any time if you require confirmation.

A special word of thanks to the COBs and contributors. I still have no idea what I am doing. No, really. No idea at all. We are making it up as we go. Thank you for your help and support. Anyway...on with the show.

We're not quite done with the Christmas theme. After all, decorations stay up until Epiphany, right?

From Victor Tango Kilo:

We can continue talking about Christmas hobbying or... rather than a theme of a single hobby, we can speak of hobbying accomplishments and aspirations.

Looking back, what were your favorite hobby projects from the past year? What new skills did you learn? What did you boldly attempt and succeed in doing? Has anything from prior Hobby Thread themes inspired you?

Looking ahead, did Santa bring new hobbying supplies? What do you plan to tackle in the coming year? Are there hobby projects that have been on your list that you FINALLY want to address or complete? Are there new skills that you want to learn or new hobbies that you have always wanted to try?

We are looking for pure and undiluted enthusiasm, optimism and ambition. This is not about guilt for prior hobby attempts or a competition for who has accumulated the most unbuilt kits or unfinished projects. Looking for the positive parts of hobbying: pride of accomplishment and the fresh energy that a new year brings.

As per usual Hobby Thread etiquette, keep this thread limited to hobbying. Politics, current events and religious debates can live in threads elsewhere. Even though it is arguably religion, college football is fair game. Play nice. Do not be a troll and do not feed the trolls. Pants are optional.

As tech costs decline and knowledge spreads, more people are doing their own sophisticated home holiday light displays. It seems like more and more homes do something more than just throw a string of lights across the roofline and around nearby shrubbery. Seeing more and more, you wonder "how hard can it be?"

There are a ton of videos on YT with all kinds of advice. Some are deep into the tech details and others are geared more towards newbies. DIY home light shows qualifies as a hobby. I am not wise in the ways of such things, so I'm not knowledgeable enough to know which YT videos are good and which are not, but here are a few videos that seemed helpful and lower on the clickbait spectrum.

God is in the details.

Hat tip: Anna Puma

Did you miss the Hobby Thread last week? We did another Christmas Ornament theme. The comments may be closed, but you can re-live the content.

Notable comments from last week:

Words of wisdom:

"Because despite all our troubles, when things are grim out in that wide round world of ours, that's when it's really important to have a good hobby." Posted by: tankascribe at June 22, 2024 07:41 PM (HWxAD).

If you have trouble finding something in the content or comments that resonates with you, contribute hobbying comments that resonate with you. Send thoughts, suggestions and photos of your hobbying to moronhobbies at protonmail dot com. Do mighty things.

posted by Open Blogger at 05:30 PM

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