The Sweetest Day

It’s that time of year again! Have you stood in line to dig through all of the picked-over cards to find just the right one for this week’s special holiday? If you’re thinking to yourself “It’s not Christmas or Valentine’s Day, or even Halloween yet” then you’re right. This Saturday is actually “Sweetest Day.” Sweetest Day is a holiday set aside every third Saturday in October to celebrate the “occasion that offers all of us an opportunity to remember not only the sick, aged and orphaned, but also friends, relatives and associates whose helpfulness and kindness we have enjoyed” (according to Retail Confectioner’s International).

This much debated “candy” or “Hallmark” holiday can be traced back to the early 1920s and is said to have originated in Cleveland, Ohio by Herbert Birch Kingston, a local candy company employee. In 1921 he, along with other candy employees, formed a confectioner’s committee and provided over 20,000 candy gift baskets to orphans, the poor and others less fortunate. While the holiday has become mostly celebrated within the Great Lakes region, it is considered a holiday geared toward giving loved ones flowers, cards and candy. So, I don’t know about you, but I definitely can find reason in having another day dedicated to giving and receiving candy and chocolate!

By: Kelly Wilson