It’s going to take more than a box of chocolates to convince some Ohio State students that Sweetest Day is more than a “Hallmark Holiday.”
“All I know is that I’ve spent a lot of money on Sweetest Day,” said Preston Conley, a fourth-year in electrical engineering.
Flowers, candy, gifts and jewelry are all celebrations for students and their ‘sweeties,’ but the common misconception of Sweetest Day beginning as a moneymaking scheme by candy companies is far from the truth.
According to americangreetings.com, Sweetest Day originated in 1922 when a man named Herbert Birch Kingston, who did work for a candy company, went to give candy to all the orphans in his community.
Local companies began to contribute candy to these orphans and later named the tradition “The Sweetest Day.” Over time, the day has become celebrated in a much more romantic manner than it originated on the third Saturday of October.
Although the tradition of Sweetest Day has a long history, students such as Devyn Pechnick, a second-year in art, said they refuse to celebrate it.
“It’s an excuse for petty girlfriends to ask for their boyfriends to give them more attention,” Pechnick said.
What Pechnick said bothered her most about Sweetest Day is that it seems like people want a specific day to be special when they should feel like that every day.
However, other students such as Miranda Der, a fourth-year in international relations, said she wants to celebrate Sweetest Day even though other people may not like the holiday.
“A lot of people look down on Sweetest Day and Valentine’s Day,” Der said. “I just like to feel special.”
Der celebrated Sweetest Day by walking on High Street hand-in-hand with her boyfriend after a photo shoot with him on the warm fall day.
“Every day should be like a Valentine’s Day,” Der said.
As sweet as it all sounds, Conley said he is still convinced that Sweetest Day is nothing but a “Hallmark Holiday.”
“It just seems to be another version of Valentine’s Day,” Conley said.
Either way, the holiday has proven to be popular in the Great Lakes region and northeast area of the United States. According to theromantic.com, Ohio is the No. 1 seller of related products for Sweetest Day, followed by Michigan and Illinois.
The holiday may be seen as just another way to beat Michigan to some, but other students simply appreciate one day to celebrate those they love.
“As long as there are presents and free food, I will celebrate it,” Der said.
