The Sweetest Day - Add it to Your Calendar (Psst. It's Not about Sugar)

There’s a lot that’s sweet in the world

But what makes a day the “Sweetest?”

My dear aunt, who was born on Sweetest Day, October 19, is the perfect person to embody this holiday. It is a traditional Midwestern celebration, and, as luck would have it, she and my mom were from Michigan. Why should we reserve this love-inspired holiday for those in the Great Lakes States? A little bit of background: The first Sweetest Day was on October 10, 1921, in Cleveland, planned by a committee of 12 confectioners and chaired by candymaker C. C. Hartzell. The Sweetest Day Committee distributed over 20,000 boxes of candy to "newsboys, orphans, old folks, and the poor." It was a great success, and that day spread to doing good deeds to those in need for future celebrations. It never planned to compete with Valentine's Day and the sugar market, and that is why maybe even though there were several attempts to start a "Sweetest Day" in New York City, it never quite caught on like it did in the midwest. I think it is a good reason to spread the love and do a good deed on Sweetest Day no matter where you live.

the sweetest reward is in helping others

and expecting nothing but joy in return!