“The King will reply, “Truly, I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.” – Matthew 25:40 NIV
I glanced at the Fleet Farm calendar next to my desk and saw a holiday on October 18 that I had never heard of before. It said “Sweetest Day.” I thought, “What has Hallmark come up with now?” Turns out Sweetest Day was not invented by Hallmark, but by a candy company employee in Cleveland.
In 1921, Herbert Kingston wanted to bring some happiness to people who were often forgotten, so he and some friends distributed candy and small gifts to orphans, shut-ins, and others who needed to know that someone cared. Soon, this act of kindness caught on in other places in Ohio and the Midwest, becoming an annual holiday called “Sweetest Day.”
Eventually, in the 1960’s Hallmark did come out with Sweetest Day cards. Soon the holiday began to shift from remembering the lonely, the left out, and the overlooked, to remembering family members and sweethearts. In some places it became a “reverse Valentine’s Day” where men were given cards, chocolates, and flowers by the women who loved them.
I’m not knocking cards and chocolate. I wouldn’t mind getting some on Sweetest Day. But I think it kind of misses the spirit of why Herbert created the holiday. It was for those who normally don’t get anything. So, I’m not going to promote Sweetest Day. Instead, I’ll encourage you to consider picking up a shoebox at church and filling it with small gifts to be given by Operation Christmas Child to kids who would otherwise be overlooked. Filled boxes can be returned to the church by November 24.
Every day can be a sweetest day if we do something nice for someone who is overlooked.
Have a sweet week.
Pastor Mark