Happy Sweetest Day! Huh?

OK- please help me out here…has anyone ever heard of this holiday? Well, in case you’re like me and didn’t have a clue…it is today. I was made aware of this fact in the sweetest way, which I guess is only appropriate…

I awoke this morning to Scot handing me a big box, and the conversation went something like this:
Scot: Happy Sweetest Day!
Kim: What?
Scot: Sweetest Day!
Kim: Sweetie’s Day?
Scot: Sweetest Day!
Kim: What?
Scot: Happy Sweetest Day!
Kim: What are you talking about?

Granted, I was still half asleep. But still, I didn’t believe Scot, and accused him of making it all up. He assured me that this was, indeed, an actual holiday. I finally believed him when I read the card and it was actually printed with, “Happy Sweetest Day!” What a great thing to wake up to on a Saturday morning, although I do feel quite guilty that I didn’t get anything for him. (The gift, incidentally, was some adorable sleeping pants, tank top, and hoodie from Victoria’s Secret.)

So, after I gained consciousness, I decided to look this “Sweetest Day” up to find out more information. This is what I learned…

Sweetest Day is celebrated on the third Saturday in October. It was started over 60 years ago when a Cleveland man, believing that the city's orphans and shut-ins too often felt forgotten and neglected, conceived the idea of showing them that they were remembered. He did this through the distribution of small gifts. With the help of his friends and neighbors, he distributed these small remembrances on a Saturday in October. During the years that followed, other Clevelanders began to participate in the celebration ceremony, which came to be called "Sweetest Day". In time, the Sweetest Day idea of spreading cheer to the underprivileged was broadened to include everyone, and became an occasion for remembering others with a kind act or a small remembrance. And soon the idea spread to other cities all over the country.

OK…so does Scot think I’m neglected or underprivileged??

Hopefully not. I continued to read about the tradition, and found out that it is now celebrated as a day to make someone happy. (OK- that seems more appropriate!) It is an occasion which offers all of us an opportunity to remember not only the sick, aged, and orphaned, but also friends, relatives and associates whose helpfulness and kindness we have enjoyed.

Sweetest Day is not based on any single group's religious sentiment or on a family relationship. It is a reminder that a thoughtful word or deed enriches life and gives it meaning.

Because for many people remembering takes the form of gift-giving, Sweetest Day offers the opportunity to show others that we care, in a tangible way.

So for those of you out there like me that had never heard of this tradition…now you know! Some of you may think this is just another artificial holiday created by Hallmark. Regardless, it made for a great surprise this morning! So mark it on your calendars…I know I will (so I won’t forget a gift for Scot next year!)