Sweetest Day is always on the third Saturday in October

If you’re a Buffalonian, it’s fairly difficult to miss observing Sweetest Day unless you intend to do it by choice. It’s so ingrained in the local culture that there’s always plenty of media coverage and advertising to serve as a reminder. This year (2006) Sweetest Day is on the 21st of October and that’s as late as it can be since October started on a Sunday. This has thrown off some of the media and probably a few merchants too, proclaiming Sweetest Day as October 14th. Not only was this wrong, but impossible, since the earliest Sweetest Day can be is on the 15th and only if October starts on a Saturday.

There’s some cynical undercurrent about Sweetest Day being another manufactured Hallmark holiday. The Hallmark connection has sufficiently been debunked but yes, Sweetest Day is indeed a manufactured holiday. Cynicism aside, we’re fortunate to be one of the Great Lakes cities with a strong Sweetest Day tradition. Most of the country doesn’t have a clue what Sweetest Day is or hasn’t even heard anything about it. This is unfortunate because Sweetest Day is one of only several formalized opportunities to spread around some remembrance. I’m using an obscure definition for remembrance: a greeting or token expressive of affection. In other words - showing that you care.

While the candy makers, florists and other retail merchants along some of the southern shores of the Great Lakes hope you buy those tokens of affection on Sweetest Day, a pleasant greeting costs nothing. And if Sweetest Day is taken in its historical context as an occasion to remember not only the sick, aged and orphaned, but also friends, relatives and associates whose helpfulness and kindness we have enjoyed, then a phone call, email or short visit would be the most valued gift you could give*.

*But if you have already spoiled someone by remembering them with chocolates on Sweetest Day, I don’t recommend sending them a nice email instead.