Sweetest Day is Not What You Think

October isn't just the month for Halloween-before that spooky and entertaining holiday rolls around on the 31st, we have the holiday that falls on the third Saturday of the month. This relatively new holiday is Sweetest Day. Where and when did this holiday originate? Is it simply another romantic day, to be celebrated in much the same manner as Valentine's Day? The answers might surprise you.

As the name of the day suggests, it is a time to honor and spend time with your "sweetie," or anyone who is special and important in your life. And, this is what most people do on Sweetest Day. Cards, flowers, and chocolates are all big sellers as gifts for this day--as they are for Valentine's Day--though not quite to the same degree. This is probably mainly because of time. Since Sweetest Day hasn't been around very long, it hasn't had time to really become a popular holiday. In 498 A.D. February 14^th was declared by Pope Gelasius as a day to honor St. Valentine, and people have been celebrating the day in various was across the world ever since then. In contrast, Sweetest Day has only been a holiday since 1922.

How did Sweetest Day become a holiday? In 1922, a candy company employee in Cleveland, Ohio named Henry Birch Kingston decided that he wanted to bring some happiness to the lives of shut-ins, orphans, and other under-privileged people. So, he and some friends went out and gave boxes of candy and other small gifts to these people. He actually got a movie star of the day, Ann Pennington, to help him on that very first Sweetest Day-she handed out over 2000 boxes of candy to Cleveland area newspaper delivery boys. Theda Bara, another very popular movie star, also joined in and gave out thousands of boxes of candy to people in Cleveland area hospitals.

Because the holiday originated in Ohio, Sweetest day is mainly celebrated in the Great Lakes area and the Northeast; however, it is a nationwide holiday and is popular in many other states as well. Most card shops and florists advertise the holiday, so it is becoming even more widespread.

Since Sweetest Day was originally developed for the purpose of showering sweets upon the less fortunate people in our society-not for any kind of romantic purpose-perhaps it would be a nice idea to go back to that type of celebration. Here are some ideas that you can try for Sweetest Day this year that represent the real meaning of the holiday:

--Buy a large box of candy bars and head to a local children's hospital or nursing home. Hand one out to each resident or patient, taking the time to visit for a few minutes with each person. Try a variety box like this one that has 30 candy bars, a mixture of Snickers, Twix Caramel, Milky Way, Snickers Cruncher, and Three Musketeers.

--Sign up to be a Big Brother or a Big Sister for a child who needs one. Kids who have a mentor like this are much less likely to do drugs or skip school, and they are much more likely to get along with their family and peers. Get more information here.

--Call your local homeless shelter or a nearby church and ask about volunteering opportunities. Or, find information about how and where to volunteer at Volunteer Match. This site can help you find places in your local community that are in need of assistance; moreover, the site works to match your personality to the best type of volunteering situation for you.

--Get together with a few friends (or even just your "sweetie) and head to a playground in a disadvantaged area of town. Clean up the playground, adding mulch or rubber chips if needed. Repaint metal structures with child-safe, outdoor, metal-adhering paint if possible-keep in mind that you may need to get a permit from the city ahead of time.

--Ask your child's teacher or school principal about what supplies are needed. You can also ask if there is a student in your child's class who are in need of extra help-perhaps you can anonymously donate clothing or school supplies directly to that child.

Try to think along these lines when you are planning your next Sweetest Day celebration. You can still spend the day with your "sweetie," just decide to spend it doing something worthwhile and significant for the community or for people who are in need. Get back to celebrating the holiday the way it was meant to be celebrated, and you will find that your day is all that much sweeter.