Sweetest Day

Sweetest Day, celebrated on October 17th, sounds like the most innocuous holiday ever--practically leaking puppies and kittens. Celebrants exchange small gifts, usually candy or flowers, with the loved ones in their lives to show their appreciation for one another. Totally innocent, if a little saccharine, right?

Supposedly, the holiday was invented by candy companies in the 1920s, intent on increasing candy purchases all over the country and catapulting Sweetest Day to the same prestige enjoyed by Mothers' Day and Fathers' Day. The "Sweetest Day Committee"--a sinister-sounding agglomeration of candy-making professionals--was assisted by movie stars in an aggressive public campaign to distribute boxes of candy to children in the streets, thus creating a critical mass of "sweetness" sure to incite a candy-buying frenzy in the populace.

Which story do you believe? Is Sweetest Day just an innocent invention, promoted these days to sell cards, candy, and cute little plush toys? Or have greeting-card companies whitewashed the real truth about the candy companies' plots? Please, pass the chocolate...