Next Saturday is Sweetest Day, and the Hallmark card displays practically shout out the guilt for louses who don’t remember their sweeties. But before you buy one flower, ask yourself: What would Herb do?
Herbert Birch Kingston started Sweetest Day in the 1920s in Cleveland. He rounded up some buddies and gave candy and gifts to orphans, the homeless and the underprivileged. The day was meant to show kindness to the people Kingston felt were forgotten by society.
Kingston worked in a candy factory, and the day developed a sweet theme after movie stars donated candy to Cleveland hospital patients and hardworking newsboys. But the day was still about offering friendship to those who needed it most.
At no point did Kingston buy his sweetheart a spa gift certificate or a basket of soap for Sweetest Day.
Hallmark pounced on the custom and began selling Sweetest Day cards in the mid-1960s. Now it has 142 card designs for the day, 80 percent with a romantic theme. The day for orphans has become a mini-Valentine’s Day. Forget the hungry and the homeless; Hallmark describes Sweetest Day as “an occasion to remember loved ones and friends.”
Sweetest Day (sensibly) has not caught on in all parts of the country. Ohio and Michigan are tops for Sweetest Day sales, followed, unfortunately, by Illinois. Not everyone outside the Great Lakes region knows about Sweetest Day, but Hallmark claims the custom is going national.
Would Herb really want you spending wads of cash on dinner and gifts? No. Stay strong. Tell her this is a day to help orphans, not the perfume industry. Valentine’s Day is 120 days later; she can wait until February.