Sweetest Day? Whazzat?

[Grither]

Before I moved to Chicago early last year, I'd never even heard of "Sweetest Day." Now, all of the sudden, I see banner ads on the internet, hear radio ads, and even see television ads "reminding" me that Sweetest Day is drawing nigh, and that only a total cad would allow the loved ones in his life experience this day without flowers/candy/a custom teddy bear.

So, my questions are as follows:
1. Is Sweetest Day really a transparent attempt by Hallmark, FTD, Russel Stover, et al. to increase sales during a traditionally slow time? Kind of like Valentine's Day II?
2. Where'd this come from? Have I spent my first 25 years in blithe ignorance of a deep and meaningful celebration of...erm...well...Sweetness?
3. Hi, Opal!
4. Is this a Chicago thing?
5. Are people really ridiculous enough to allow the manufacturers of gifts to decide when one is appropriate?

[BobT]

I've seen Sweetest Day on calendars off and on for the last 25 years.

I'm sure the greeting card companies like it, but it might have a less cynical origin.

[Cargogal]

What the hell???

I moved from Chicago a few years ago, and the place has gone down.

From http://www.firstregistry.com:
Sweetest day is the third Saturday of October. The origin of this holiday comes from Cleveland. Over 60 years ago a Cleveland man believing that the city’s orphaned, sick, and aged people were forgotten and neglected, conceived the idea of showing them love and support. With the help of friends and family he distributed small gifts on a Saturday in October. During the following years, a lot more Clevelanders adopted the idea and started celebrating that day, which they named “Sweetest Day”. During the last decades, the tradition started spreading around in other states all over the country and became an occasion to remember not only the sick, the aged, the orphaned, but also friends, relatives, and associates whose helpfulness of kindness we have enjoyed.

So:
1 - Yes.
2 - I find it hard to call it "deep and meaningful."
3 - Im not Opal!
4 - Gawd, no.
5 - Many are. Don't date any of those.

[Phil Saoud]

Originally posted by BobT
I've seen Sweetest Day on calendars off and on for the last 25 years.

I'm sure the greeting card companies like it, but it might have a less cynical origin.

Suprisingly, it does. I recently read that Sweetest Day originated with someone (a Chicagoian, I think) who started it as a day to give gifts to underprivleged children. I'll be damned if I can find the link though...

[SolomonGrundy]

OT here -- please explain the "Hi, Opal!" It sounds incredibly familiar and it's going to drive me crazy until I get the reference...

[Cargogal]

Does this remind anyone else of Love Day from the Simpsons? I mean, "Sweetest day?"

I'm not a cynic, really... OK, maybe I am.

[Chronos]

Odd. The story I'd always heard (from an American Greetings employee) was that AG just started putting it on all their calenders, and that the other card companies (Hallmark, etc.) knew a good thing when they saw it, and followed suit.

I'm extremely skeptical of any explanation involving charitable donations to the needy, since that bears exactly zero resemblance to the current observance of the day, and why would such a venture be called "Sweetest Day" in the first place?

[nineiron]

OK, this must definitely be a regional thing. Never in my life have I heard the term "Sweetest Day" before opening this thread.

Of course, we here in Massachusetts are one of only two states to celebrate "Patriots' Day," so why should I complain about regional holidays?

[mnemosyne]

Originally posted by SolomonGrundy
OT here -- please explain the "Hi, Opal!" It sounds incredibly familiar and it's going to drive me crazy until I get the reference...

It's a messageboard thing. Apparently (before my time) OpalCat had an issue with people making lists with only 2 items. Lists had to have at least 3 items. So "Hi Opal!" became the third point in a list, and thus was tradition created.

Or so they told me.

[Telemark]

You think Patriot's Day is fun, how about Crown Resistance Day? You think it's a coincidence it falls on March 17th?

[Balthisar]

Ach, here in Michigan, it's getting worse every year. It used to be a "known" fake-holiday, yes, like the Simpsons' "Love Day."

Then last year, some company started running television ads along these lines (big-time paraphrase):

It may very well be that Sweetest Day is a contrived holiday; artificial; an invention of greedy greetings card companies in desperate need of a holiday this time of year. But if you ignore Sweetest Day, does it really matter that it's not a real holiday when your wife/loved-one/&tc. clobbers you for not getting her something, only to stand up for what you believe?

Well, something like that.

[ismecdb]

My mama, who turns 58 this Sweetest's Day, has been telling me since I was small that she was born on this "holiday." We're from Virginia, so it isn't regional. Of course, Hallmark brainwashed Mom years ago, so...

[nineiron]

By "regional," I didn't necessarily mean it's just in Chicago (as has been shown). All I know is that it's not something that I, here in Massachusetts, have ever heard of.

[Green Bean]

I live in NJ, grew up in NY, went to school in Pittsburgh--and I never heard of it until this year, and only because I read about it here on the SDMB. Sounds totally asinine.

[Fenris]

I'm from Colorado and I'd never heard of it before the recent pit-thread about it.

Fenris

[sliv]

I spent four years going to school in Chicago, and this is the first I've heard of it. I'm from California, btw.

[Gravity]

Originally posted by nineiron
OK, this must definitely be a regional thing. Never in my life have I heard the term "Sweetest Day" before opening this thread.

Of course, we here in Massachusetts are one of only two states to celebrate "Patriots' Day," so why should I complain about regional holidays?

*chuckle*
Vermont state employees get Battle of Bennington day off. Paid.

[jillamina]

Originally posted by Grither
Before I moved to Chicago early last year, I'd never even heard of "Sweetest Day."

Me either. And what's the deal with Pulaski Day?

[Phil Saoud]

Ok, I managed to find another link that covers the same basic information as the one I mentioned earlier. Unfortunately, it's basically and advertisment so I'll spare you and just quote the text:

"How It Started

Over 60 years ago, 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".

I can't say how factual any of this is. If only we knew someone who could substantiate it. Man, he'd have to be, like, the world's smartest human or something...

[treis]

Me either. And what's the deal with Pulaski Day?

He was a Polish general that assisted the Americans in the American revolution (something with calvary I think). Chicago has one of the largest Polish populations(IIRC its up there with Warsaw) so naturally it was a good excuse for a party.

[Balthisar]

Originally posted by treis

He was a Polish general that assisted the Americans in the American revolution (something with calvary I think). Chicago has one of the largest Polish populations(IIRC its up there with Warsaw) so naturally it was a good excuse for a party.

Hehe, the first time I read through this thread, I misread that is "punchki" day. No, I doubt I spelt that correctly, but it's also Polish. Anybody outside of SE Michigan ever heard of/participated in this? (Really, it's just a day when you're supposed to buy punchkis - rich, rich jelly donuts - and they're GOOD).

[nineiron]

Ahh, "poonch-keys." I think the official spelling is "Paczki" but the stores that sell them around here put in parentheses, "pronounced 'poonch-key.'" Western Massachusetts is also heavy on the Polish population.

[Carina42]

FWIW, I just moved to Michigan from Colorado, and this is the first time I've ever heard of Sweetest Day. A very quick search confirms the "Man from Cleveland" story, or at least that's the only explanation I found.

If that's the case, why every retailer I've seen trumpeting it is selling flowers and chocolates to "give to your loved one" has corrupted what may have been a nice idea at one time. Feh.

[August West]

Milwaukeean here. "Paczki day" is Fat Tuesday, aka Mardi Gras. It's the Polish way of feasting a little before Ash Wednesday

[pulykamell]

Chicagoan here (though displaced for the last 3 years)
Paczki day is indeed celebrated in Chicago among the Poles and the official spelling has a little hook (known as an "ogonek" - like a cedilla, only hooking the other way) on the "a" which makes the "a" nasalized. In other words, it is pronounced like "on" is in French. The best approximation is "Pownchki" or something similar (but there really isn't an "n" in there.)

Sweetest Day has in fact been known in Chicago for at least 9 years. I first celebrated/heard of it in 1992, as a Senior in high school. It wasn't particularly popular or known to everyone (not like Pulaski Day ), but I can vouch for the fact that it did exist and was certainly marketed in Chicago as far back as then.

[Cargogal]

Originally posted by pulykamell
Chicagoan here (though displaced for the last 3 years)
Paczki day is indeed celebrated in Chicago among the Poles and the official spelling has a little hook (known as an "ogonek" - like a cedilla, only hooking the other way) on the "a" which makes the "a" nasalized. In other words, it is pronounced like "on" is in French. The best approximation is "Pownchki" or something similar (but there really isn't an "n" in there.)

Sweetest Day has in fact been known in Chicago for at least 9 years. I first celebrated/heard of it in 1992, as a Senior in high school. It wasn't particularly popular or known to everyone (not like Pulaski Day ), but I can vouch for the fact that it did exist and was certainly marketed in Chicago as far back as then.

I lived in Chicago from birth (1976) until 1994 (and visit frequently, since my dad is still there), and first heard of this day yesteday on this board. I knew of Pulaski day shortly after birth. Maybe I'm just lucky.
I will faithfully NOT observe Sweetness day, unless they get Walter Payton involved.

[cleops]

lived in Maine, NY, Wisconsin, Florida, Oklahoma, and never heard of it 'til this thread. Sounds horrible.

[pulykamell]

Cargogal - Maybe it just was my neighborhood. I lived in Archer Heights (around 47th and Pulaski) from '75 - '93, then in Evanston from '94 - '98. My thought, too ,when I heard of it was WTF?! Consider yourself lucky for having avoided it.

[Milton De La Warre]

I had to read this thread ecause I just heard about Sweetest Day last night when I got one of those Yahoo greeting cards via e-mail. I thought "WTF?", and thought of askig about it in this forum ---until I saw someone else did.

[Dragwyr]

Sweetest Day? ARRRRGGGHHHH! I hate it I hate it I hate it!

'nuf said.

[kaylasdad99]

The first time I ever heard of "Sweetest Day" was when I read a "Peanuts" cartoon way back in ages past. It lasted for about a week, and the "story line," such as it was, involved either Lucy trying to wheedle a gift out of Schroeder, or Sally trying to get one from Linus. Whoever it was, she came up empty.