Business

Here's to the true meaning of Sweetest Day

Posted October 16, 2009 11:00 pm

By Jamie Sotonoff

Rhonda Dehn, owner of Morkes Chocolates in Palatine and Algonquin, shows an anatomically correct heart. Bill Zars | Staff Photographer

Seeing a huge, heart-shaped box of Sweetest Day chocolates makes Rhonda Dehn angry.

It's not that she hates chocolate or is down on love - she is happily married and owns the Morkes Chocolates shops in Palatine and Algonquin.

But Dehn feels strongly that Sweetest Day is supposed to be a holiday that's celebrated with small gestures of kindness and charity, not lavish gifts for your significant other.

Even though it's bad for business, Dehn discourages people from buying humongous boxes of chocolate for Sweetest Day and refuses to sell heart-shaped candy, which she likens to "putting a Christmas tree out for Easter."

"(Sweetest Day) is not about spending money. It's about doing something nice," said Dehn, a Barrington resident who will celebrate Sweetest Day today by bringing little chocolates to suburban senior homes.

Dehn is correct about the holiday's origin. Sweetest Day started 87 years ago when a Cleveland candy store owner brought little "sweet" treats to orphans, the elderly and homebound people on the third Saturday of each October, leading people to call it "The Sweetest Day of the Year," according to the major greeting card companies and theholidayspot.com.

But for some reason, in the last few decades, the holiday evolved into a day about your sweetheart, not giving a sweet to someone in need.

"I think a lot of people are confused. They're like, 'Where did this holiday come from? What am I supposed to do?' They come in (to Morkes Chocolates) and go, 'Uh, I've got to get something,'" Dehn said.

Morkes' Sweetest Day displays add to the confusion, since they only feature small treats ranging in price from $2 to $6, such as a freshly dipped chocolate-covered strawberry, a candy apple, or a rose-shaped piece of chocolate on a stem.

Fearing that's not a good or expensive enough gift, customers gravitate toward their large, expensive boxes of candy, Dehn said.

"I only comment about it to the customers I know well," Dehn said. "But I've never met anyone who knows the true meaning of the holiday."

Some people accuse the greeting card companies of concocting holidays like Sweetest Day to boost sales, creating what's referred to as "Hallmark holidays." Indeed, Hallmark has made Sweetest Day cards since the 1960s and is currently selling a card that plays a recording of Barry White's "Can't Get Enough of Your Love, Babe." The company reports 80 percent of its Sweetest Day cards have "love" or "romance" as the theme.

Hallmark spokeswoman Sarah Kolell said it'd be impossible for a company to "create" a holiday, and they are simply making cards to meet consumer demand. Kolell also noted that Sweetest Day is not the only holiday where the original point got a bit, well, lost.

"Think about Christmas. The original intent was to celebrate the birth of a religious figure, but people have taken it in a different direction," she said. "Obviously, there are people who want to celebrate (Sweetest Day) and we meet that need. I think connecting with someone and letting them know you appreciate and care about them is never a bad thing."

Dehn believes Sweetest Day is a worthwhile holiday if it's celebrated properly. If people knew the holiday's true meaning, she thinks it'd relieve a lot of pressure on the men and women who feel obligated to buy something for their significant others.

"It's sad, but the people who should be remembered are forgotten," Dehn said. "Wouldn't it be nice if St. Joseph Home for the Elderly or Children's Memorial Hospital had to have cops outside directing traffic, because of all the cars coming in on Sweetest Day?"s

A chocolate martini, with olive, from Morkes Chocolates in Palatine and Algonquin. Bill Zars | Staff Photographer

Rhonda Dehn, owner of Morkes Chocolates in Palatine and Algonquin, says people who buy big boxes of chocolates for their sweethearts are misguided. Bill Zars | Staff Photographer

An anatomically correct heart at Morkes Chocolates in Palatine and Algonquin. Bill Zars | Staff Photographer

Hallmark holidays? Hallmark says it doesn't make up holidays, including these on its "holidays and occasions" list. Sweetest Day (Oct. 17) United Nations Day (Oct. 24) Grandparents Day (Sept. 12) National Doctor's Day (March 30) Administrative Professionals Day (April 21) National Nurses Day (May 6) Friendship Day (Aug. 1) Sisters Day (Aug. 5) Clergy Appreciation Day (Oct. 11) National Children's Day (Oct. 11) National Boss' Day (Oct. 16)\ Source: Hallmark Corp.

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