Today is Sweetest Day

Sweetest Day is celebrated the third Saturday in October every year, and today just happens to be that day. Sa-weet!

Sweetest Day is a day to show appreciation to the special people in your life who have brought you joy and gladness, and, in the spirit of it's original purpose, to bring joy and sweetness into the lives of those who are less fortunate.

There are two stories as to how Sweetest Day came about. First, it is said that in 1922, dozen's of the top candy makers from the Cleveland Ohio area concocted the idea of  "The Sweetest Day In The Year" as a day to take time away from the hustle and bustle of daily life and slow down long enough to "bring a bit of good cheer to those you love".  It is said that on the first "Sweetest Day" ever held, on October 14 1922,  The Sweetest Day In The Year Committee along with help from the biggest movie stars of the day including Theda Bara and Ann Pennington, distributed over 20,000 boxes of candy to newsboys, orphans, old folks, and the poor in Cleveland Ohio.

The second story begins a little differently but ends about the same. A local Cleveland Ohio candy company employee by the name of Herbert Birch Kingston, was concerned about the often forgotten people in the community and sought to bring some happiness and cheer into their lives. He and some friends began distributing candy and small gifts to orphanages, those stricken with illness and disabilities, shut-ins and others who were forgotten. It wasn't too long after that, that actresses Theda Bara and Ann Pennington came upon the scene and joined in giving candy to newsboys, in appreciation of their service,  and to people in hospitals.

Today, Sweetest Day is primarily celebrated in the Great Lakes region and the northeast, but is popping up here and their all over the United States as people relocate and bring the observance of the celebration with them.

Some criticize Sweetest Day as just another event created to coax people into buying candy, gifts, and cards. But hey, in my world, just waking up in the morning is reason enough for a celebration involving candy! I hope we can all take some time today to show some love to those we love. Have a happy Sweetest Day!

The Searchers - Sweets For My Sweet



Sources: SweetestDay.com
               Wikipedia.org