Sweetest Day

Infobox Holiday
holiday_name=Sweetest Day
type=Local
observedby=Mostly Midwestern United States
date=Third Saturday in October
date2008=October 18
celebrations= Giving small presents such as greeting cards, candy, and flowers to loved ones

Sweetest Day is an observance celebrated primarily in the Great Lakes region and parts of the Northeast United States on the third Saturday in October [cite news |url=http://www.sptimes.com/2006/10/21/Floridian/A_sweet_day_for_Hallm.shtml |title=A sweet day for Hallmark |last=Cridlin |first=Jay |date=2006-10-21 |publisher=St Petersburg Times |accessdate=2007-02-21] . It is described by Retail Confectioners International as an "occasion which 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." [http://www.retailconfectioners.org/content.aspx?page_id=22&club_id=60196&module_id=3418 Sweetest Day] , "retailerconfectioners.org". Retrieved on 2007-02-21.] Sweetest Day has also been referred to as a "concocted promotion" ["The Cleveland Plain Dealer", October 15, 2005.] created by the candy industry solely to increase sales of candy.

Origin

The origin of Sweetest Day is frequently attributed to candy company employee Herbert Birch Kingston as an act of philanthropy. [ [http://www.theromantic.com/sweetestday.htm Sweetest Day History and Facts] "theromantic.com". Retrieved on 2007-02-21.] However, Bill Lubinger, a reporter for "The Plain Dealer", contends that "Dozens of Cleveland's top candy makers concocted the promotion 84 years ago and it stuck, although it never became as widely accepted as hoped." ["The Cleveland Plain Dealer", October 15, 2005.] "The Cleveland Plain Dealer's" October 8, 1921 edition, which chronicles the first Sweetest Day in Cleveland, states that the first Sweetest Day was planned by a committee of 12 confectioners chaired by candymaker C. C. Hartzell. "The Sweetest Day in the Year Committee" distributed over 20,000 boxes of candy to "newsboys, orphans, old folks, and the poor" in Cleveland, Ohio ["The Cleveland Plain Dealer", October 8, 1921 and October 8, 1922.] . The "Sweetest Day in the Year Committee" was assisted in the distribution of candy by some of the biggest movie stars of the day including Theda Bara and Ann Pennington. ["The Cleveland Plain Dealer", October 8, 1921 and October 8, 1922.]

There were also several attempts to start a "Sweetest Day" in New York City, including a declaration of a Candy Day throughout the United States by candy manufacturers on October 8, 1922."The New York Times", October 8, 1922.] In 1927, "The New York Times" reported that "the powers that determine the nomenclature of the weeks of October" decreed that the week beginning on October 10, 1927 would be known as "Sweetest Week.""The New York Times", October 10, 1927.] On September 25, 1937, "The New York Times" reported under "Advertising News and Notes" that The National Confectioners Association had launched a "movement throughout the candy industry" to rank Sweetest Day with the nationally accepted Mother's Day, Father's Day, and St. Valentine's Day."The New York Times", September 25, 1937.] In 1940, another Sweetest Day was proclaimed on October 19. The promotional event was marked by the distribution of more than 10,000 boxes of candy by the "Sweetest Day Committee.""The New York Times", October 18, 1940.] The candy was distributed among 26 local charities. 225 children were given candy in the chapel at the "Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Children" on October 17, 1940. 600 boxes of candy were also delivered to the presidents of the Jewish, Protestant and Catholic Big Sister groups of New York.

Today

Sweetest Day now largely involves giving small presents such as greeting cards, candy, and flowers to loved ones. While it is not as large or widely observed as Valentine's Day, it is still celebrated in parts of the United States, despite persistent allegations of being a "Hallmark holiday." [cite news | url=http://metromix.chicagotribune.com/localguide/suburbs/west/mmx-061018-west-suburbs-sweetest-day,0,7539245.story?coll=mmx-sgtop_promo |title=Sweet wine o’ mine |last=Arnett |first=Lisa |publisher=The Chicago Tribune |accessdate=2007-02-21]

Retail Confectioners International describes it as "much more important for candymakers in some regions than in others (Detroit, Cleveland and Buffalo being the biggest Sweetest Day cities)". In 2006, Hallmark marketed 151 greeting card designs for Sweetest Day. American Greetings marketed 178.cite news |url=http://www.mountvernonnews.com/local/06/10/21/sweetest.day.html |title=Sweetest Day born in Ohio |last=Orsborn |first=Kimberly |date=2006-10-20 |publisher=Mount Vernon News |accessdate=2007-02-21]

References

Further reading

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*cite journal|title=Consumer Rites: The Buying and Selling of American Holidays|author=Scott C. Martin|journal=Journal of Social History|volume=31|year=1997
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External links

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