Little known history
Sweetest Day–Commercial Greed or Communal Charity?
I live in the Great Lakes region, which means I have an extra holiday most of the country does not–Sweetest Day.
Sweetest Day was created in 1921 by a confectionary commission and sanctioned by city council members in July of 1921. The holiday was meant to celebrate giving candy as an act of love and charity.
Think less love story, more love offering.
Husbands were encouraged to take some time away from work that Saturday (because yes, people worked six and seven day weeks back then) and do something to show their wife they appreciated her.
Adult children were encouraged to reach out to and check on their aging parents, whether they were in “the little hometown” or the big city of Cleveland.
Unlike Valentine’s Day, which is a celebration of romantic love, Sweetest Day was created as a celebration of all kinds of love, from spouses, parents and children, to our charitable love of those who are less fortunate.
While this might sound like a shameless plug for candy companies (and in many ways, it is), the intention behind Sweetest Day was to remind us that wealth and success were empty without people to share it with.
