Nothing Says Love Like Chalky Valentine's Day Candy Hearts
Photo by Obi Onyeador on Unsplash
When I think of Valentine’s Day, I think of those little chalky candy hearts. You know the ones with the sayings like Love Me, Cutie Pie, Crush On You, etc. I believe the comedian Jim Gaffigan said it best when he compared the taste of these to tiny antacids labeled with “Hug Me” on them. The color or the saying didn't matter; they all tasted alike.
I don’t know about you, but Valentine’s Day was not unlike Christmas in February when you were young. I vividly remember this little holiday breaking up the monotony of a Michigan winter, if just for one day. These memories come flooding back as I see the excitement from my two young children. It instantly takes me back to grade school and thoughts of those little candy hearts and this mini-holiday in February.
It all starts with buying Valentines, or simple character-driven cards, with sayings like “Be my Valentine” to be handed out to their classroom friends. I'm unsure if it was a Transformer, Charlie Brown, or GI Joe Valentine offering when I was younger, but you would get a full set with some variety. I remember having a crush on someone at the time, and there was always a “Special” card to be given, in addition to plenty of “Be Mine” candy hearts.
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Of course, they also have to design a very elaborate mailbox to receive the Valentines for themselves. I remember this being an in-class project in which you were given colorful construction paper, a pair of scissors, most likely paste, and crayons. Nowadays, this has become an at-home project. My kids spent the better part of a weekend constructing their little marvels. My son made a raging tank, and my daughter made a peaceful train. Each of these was made out of a random Amazon or tissue box.
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You can’t tell me the teachers themselves don’t welcome the break from a typical school day topped off by a small party. I remember it being a bit of a free-for-all, and the teacher just sitting back and waiting for their mailbox to fill with Valentines. The kids were scarfing down the candy, and the day was getting even more lively.
So Valentine’s Day always brings me back to those candy hearts, which have been a staple at Valentine’s Day for over a century. Valentine’s Day 2019 found no conversational hearts on the shelves as Spangler Candy had just bought the rights to the Necco candy brand.
Abby Thiel wrote a nice article on this here:
Luckily, these hearts returned in 2020 and are going strong with many new sayings and that same taste. Today you can expect more motivational sayings like “Way 2 Go”, “Be You”, and “Don’t Quit”. You either love them or hate them, but you have to appreciate their longevity!