When my family moved to Ohio from Buffalo, NY back in 1996,
there were two things that were foreign to us: JoJo’s and Sweetest Day.
Here in northeast Ohio, where Hallmark’s headquarters are
located and some of the best chocolate I’ve ever tasted (Harry London’s in
Canton, OH), we have a make believe holiday called Sweetest Day the 3rd
Saturday of every October.
The origin of Sweetest Day has always been suspect. Most believe it to be a "made up" holiday strictly for big business to reap profits at the expense of perpetrating romance. Of the twelve Cleveland committeemen who planned Cleveland's Sweetest Day (pictured above) eleven directly profited from the sale of greeting cards or candy. Three were on the Board of Directors for Hallmark, four on the boards of various candy companies and four owned card and candy shops in the Cleveland area. (Source)
It truly is a dumb holiday that I don’t always remember
until my husband comes home with a box of chocolates or when I see signs the
week before to pick up carnations for your loved one. Instead of being a fuddy-duddy, I decided to
take this day and make it special for me and my love. We do not like crowds and we are frugal, so
battling to get a table at a restaurant was out of the picture. Instead, we spent the day with one another
relaxing, exploring, did some shopping in Amish country and ate a nice meal (at home)!
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| An old abandoned house we went through. |
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| A second old house we went through. |
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| The loot from Amish Salvage Store: $40.35 That includes a large jug of EVOO ($16.99), 13 boxes of cous cous ($0.49/bx), grits, coconut milk, french onion soup (2), and several other items. We go twice a year and I am always amazed at the deals we find. |
We don’t eat steak very often, but I decided I wanted to
have a nice meal with Todd for Sweetest Day.
Steaks, scallops, sweet potato fries and broccoli was the main course and pumpkin pie ice cream was for dessert. It was delicious!!
Even though it was a make believe holiday, it is nice to
splurge once in a while for one another, and truly enjoy each other’s company.
What did you do this
past Saturday?
Did you know it was
Sweetest Day?
Those are the best kind of dates, sweet and simple, just spending time with the one you love. I really enjoyed this and am reminded that my DH and I are seriously overdue for a little time to ourselves. Thanks for sharing. :)
ReplyDeleteHi there! Thank you for your comment! You are right - just spending time with the one you love is the best kind of date. Those are the ones we remember and enjoy the most. :-)
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