Wikipedia states that “Sweetest Day is a holiday celebrated in the Midwestern United States, and parts of the Northeastern United States, on the third Saturday in October. Sweetest Day has also been referred to as a ‘concocted promotion’ created by the candy industry solely to increase sales of sweets. It is also a day to bestow romantic deeds or expressions. Eleven states and parts of two states observe Sweetest Day: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, Wisconsin, and areas of both New York and Pennsylvania west of the spine of the Appalachian Mountains.”
The article goes on to share that Sweetest Day was, in fact, started by candy makers in Cleveland, Ohio, as a commercial holiday. However, the point for “Auntie Brenda” is that some of “my boys” will have women in their lives who are eagerly anticipating your participation in this day unofficially set aside to acknowledge those you care about. By the way, Detroit (where many in my readership are from) and Cleveland are the two primary cities where Sweetest Day is observed!
Three rules first—for both the ladies and the men:
- It’s not about how much you spend. It’s about graciously acknowledging that the holiday exists to provide an opportunity for you to outwardly express your love, care, or kind thoughts for someone.
- It’s not about dedicating the whole day to celebrating this “event.” A quality moment or a portion of time set aside and dedicated to that individual says “You matter.”
- In this case, it really is the thought that counts.
- The gift of time. Give the gift of cleaning out the car, washing dishes, raking the leaves, or something else that will help the one you care about and perhaps be something you could even do together! The best part is that it’s technically free!
- Under the category of free comes a gift that women, in particular, love! Guys, put your thoughts in writing: it can be anything from a simple sheet of paper with the words, “Happy Sweetest Day! I appreciate you!” written on it to a poem telling her a few of the things that you find extra amazing about her. Remember: ladies don’t want to just be with a man who is amazing; they want (and deserve, I might add) a man who realizes and lets them know that they’re amazing too!
- Candy. That’s sort of a “duh,” but just remember that it doesn’t have to be elegant, expensive chocolate flown in from the Czech Republic (which my friend Rosemary declares is the best chocolate in the world!) or created at the local confectioner’s shop. It can be his or her favorite candy bar or bag of candy (you do know his or her favorite candy, don’t you?) wrapped with a simple bow or placed in a purposeful way in a location where it will say, “I was thinking of you!” So in other words, you could actually celebrate this day and your special recipient for under $1.00!
- Go to Kohls, Target, or some other local department store and pick up two coffee (or tea) mugs. Tie the handles together with a bow and add a note that says, “Let’s use these when we enjoy a cup of coffee together in the mornings” (or whenever you’d likely drink coffee, tea, or hot chocolate together). You can even grab two decent mugs at the Dollar Tree for $1.00 each, making this affordable for nearly anyone! So, depending on the mugs you choose to purchase, you could gift this for under $3.00!
- Aldi has some of the best flowers around. I’m serious. Six roses or a bouquet of fresh, seasonal flowers are generally…are you ready for this?…under $5.00! And yes, ladies, many men I know also love getting flowers for their desk or dresser!
Obviously, there are multiple other options and multiple other price ranges—from dinner out…to jewelry…to a weekend getaway!
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This week’s organization tip for those participating in Operation Optimize October is:
Put a label on it.
You might think you’ll remember what’s in the box or storage bin, but it certainly makes it easier if there’s a label there to identify the contents. And here’s a bonus tip: If the storage box, food containers, etc. will be stacked, make sure that the label is on the side! This prevents you from having to lift every box in order to see what is in the box beneath it!
Though my husband and I have not observed this day, I love your first suggestion. Any day, help rendered means more to me than money spent.
This post made me smile… it’s a yearly conversation at our house! LOL Nice to know that Sweetest Day is mainly a mid-west thing. 🙂 Happy Sweetest Day to one of the sweetest bloggers I know! 🙂
A great post Brenda! Wonderful ideas that hold value in meaning, not $!
I absolutely agree about giving for the right reasons and nut falling into the traps that our consumer society often pressures us.
I think of you! Still working on book and life!
This is the first time I had a chance to visit your site. Didn’t even know you had one!
Blessings of joy!