National Boss's Day and Sweetest Day

Thursday is National Boss's Day, while Sweetest Day isn't until Saturday. But even if the boss isn't really a sweetheart, these two days indeed do have something in common. Both are bonanzas for the peddlers of greeting cards, candy and flowers.

Merchants in these trades, once upon a time, relied on the old standbys of birthdays and graduations, weddings and anniversaries, Mother's Day and Father's Day, hospital visits and funerals. Christian confirmations and Jewish bar mitzvahs were part of the trade. And then, of course, there was Valentine's Day.

This would have seemed to have offered a full agenda for the entrepreneurs, but no. It was 87 years ago in Cleveland when a team of top candy makers, normally rivals, concocted yet another promotion in the same manner that they would concoct fudge or caramel or taffy. Valentine's Day didn't have a fall partner, so they formed "The Sweetest Day in the Year Committee." And for suitors and lovers ever since, things have never been the same.

There still are cynics. As momentum switched beyond candy to cards, some folks started describing Sweetest Day as "a Hallmark holiday." To counteract this contention, Sweetest Day marketers explain that there is a difference between Sweetest Day and Valentine's Day. The difference is that while Valentine's Day is just for your one and only love, Sweetest Day is for all of the people who make your life special.

Clever enough? Not only is the distinction drawn, but the market is expanded. A pitch from American Greetings really puts on the pressure: "Some people think of Sweetest Day of being a 'made-up' holiday, and that's fine ... let them be miserable while you celebrate in the spirit of life and love."

Unlike Sweetest Day, Boss's Day did not begin as a marketing ploy. It started in 1958 when State Farm Insurance secretary Patricia Bays Haroski of Deerfield, Ill., registered Oct. 16 as "National Boss's Day" with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. This was her way of honoring the birthday of her boss, who also happened to be her father. Four years later, then-Gov. Otto Kerner of Illinois made it a statewide affair.

Boss's Day was not an immediate hit, and Hallmark didn't even come out with its first Boss's Day card until 1979. Still, like Sweetest Day, the momentum was inevitable. The marketers of cards, candy and flowers may only rue the fact that Mr. Bays' birthday fell so closely to Sweetest Day. They could use a little more space between the two.

Boss's Day has yet to give way to "Corporate Executives Day," and with Wall Street's troubles, this is not likely to happen soon. However, National Secretary's Day - created in 1952 - has morphed into Administrative Professionals Day.

Anyone who is neither a boss nor an administrative professional will have to settle for Labor Day, but who gets gifts on Labor Day?

And if all of this puts you in a bad mood, consider that today - Wednesday, Oct. 15 - is National Grouch Day. So says Sesame Street Magazine, with Jim Henson and his muppets. Perhaps the makers of sour lemon candies will catch on to this one.

SOURCES

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sweetest_Day

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boss's_Day

sweetestday.com

americangreetings.com/events/sweetestday.pd

solidayinsights.com/other/secretary.htm

muppet.wikia.com/wiki/National_Grouch_Day