Sweetest Day Commitment

by jschumacher

When I was growing up in Warrensville Heights, Ohio, celebrating Sweetest Day on the third Saturday in October was equivalent to celebrating Valentine’s Day in February.  As I reflect back on my school days, I was excited about our school’s Sweetest Day carnation sales and the possibility of receiving a red or pink carnation.  I was thrilled to buy and give carnations to special friends, too.  When I went off to college at Miami University, many people had never heard of Sweetest Day.  Then, when I moved to Baltimore, Maryland, Sweetest Day seemed to be a faint memory.  I can recall celebrating Sweetest Day once while living in Georgia.

According to sweetestday.com,

Sweetest Day was founded around 1922 in Cleveland, Ohio by Herbert Birch Kingston who was a local candy company employee. Kingston sought to bring cheer and some happiness to the lives of those who were often forgotten. With the help of his friends, he began distributing candy and small gifts to children living in orphanages, those stricken with illness or disabilities, shut-ins, and others who were forgotten.

This site goes on to explain that Sweetest Day in fact is more of a regional holiday but is growing in popularity nationally.  Moreover, it isn’t a romantically inspired holiday at all.

With that in mind, this October I plan to celebrate Sweetest Day in the spirit of which it was created.  With the assistance of my family, I plan to do several acts of kindness for those who are less fortunate than I am. 

Why don’t you do the same on Sweetest Day?

July 22nd, 2009 by Yolanda D. Young | Posted in Holiday Celebrations | (0)