Sweet Services Blog

Santa Sighting!

SANTA SIGHTING!!  In probably the last place you would think..ARIZONA!!   Santa just had to check out Southwest Candy in Arizona to stock up on the candy he is going to put in all of the good little boys' and girls' stockings! 

Maybe if the big boys and girls have been good this year they will get some too!  Santa said he had to come all the way to Arizona because he heard from Rudolph that Southwest Candy has the best deals on Candy Canes and a HUGE variety of other candy for the holidays too!  Santa said that everyone at Southwest Candy was so nice and helpful that we are going to get something extra special in our stockings too! J  What a great time we had helping Santa! 

Next stop: Sweet Services in Chicago, IL! Hope Santa doesn't get snowed in over there!

What are the Holidays Really About?

Some of us tend to forget the true meaning of Christmas. With all of the parties, and presents, and holiday hussle and bussle, we need to remember that Christmas is the birthday of Jesus Christ. Here is a great link to The History of Christmas which helps to remind all of us of why we celebrate this very special day!

The History of Hanukkah, or Festival of Lights, is a celebration of religious triumph of the Jews over the persecution they endured by the Syrians, and the miracle of the menorah staying lit for 8 nights! To view the full history click here!

Kwanzaa is an African American non-religious holiday created in 1966 by Professor Maulana Karenga. He wanted to create a way to bring African Americans together as a community to celebrate their family and culture. To learn more about this celebration, click here!

We be Shoppin'!! Bring on Black Friday- the Sweet 'n' Sour Pop!

What is Black Friday?

There are actually two events that describe this historical day- from www.investopedia.com

1. A day of stock market catastrophe. Originally, September 24, 1869, was deemed Black Friday. The crash was sparked by gold speculators, including Jay Gould and James Fist, who attempted to corner the gold market. The attempt failed and the gold market collapsed, causing the stock market to plummet. The term "black" has been used to describe other disastrous days in financial markets. For example, on Black Tuesday, October 29, 1929, the market fell precipitously, signaling the start of the Great Depression. The largest one-day drop in stock market history occurred on Black Monday, October 19, 1987, when the Dow Jones Industrial Average plummeted more than 22%.
2. The day after Thanksgiving in the United States. Retailers generally see an upward spike in sales and consider this to be the start of the holiday shopping season. It's common for retailers to offer special promotions and to open early to draw in customers.   The idea behind the term "Black Friday" is that this is the day in which retail stores have enough sales to put them "in the black" - an accounting expression that alludes to the practice of recording losses in red and profits in black. I am labeling Black Friday- the Charms Sweet 'n' Sour Pop! Sweet because of the great sales and promotions, and sour because of the long lines, crowded stores, and pushy customers!

The Charms Sweet 'n' Sour Pop is a great treat to pass the time as you wait in long check-out lines. Retailers should keep this in mind and have a candy dish ready to go for their customers! Purchasable in as small as 5lbs or as large as a 30lb case- containing 12 boxes of 48 count lollipops.

The Ingredient List includes: sugar, corn syrup, ctitric acid, artificial flavors, artificial colors (including FD&C red 40 and FD&C blue 1), and tumeric coloring.

Allergy Info: Milk and soy may be present

Nutrition Facts: Serving Size is 1 lollipop

                        Total Calories = 70

                        Calories from Fat = 0

                        Total Fat = 0g

                        Cholesterol = 0mg

                        Sodium = 0mg

                        Total Carbohydrate = 17g

                        Fiber = 0g

                        Sugars = 13g

                        Protein = 0g

                        Iron = 2%

Happy Thanksgiving- The Caramel Apple Pop of Holidays!

  In 1621, the Plymouth colonists and Wampanoag Indians shared an autumn harvest feast which is acknowledged today as one of the first Thanksgiving celebrations in the colonies. This harvest meal has become a symbol of cooperation and interaction between English colonists and Native Americans. Although this feast is considered by many to the very first Thanksgiving celebration, it was actually in keeping with a long tradition of celebrating the harvest and giving thanks for a successful bounty of crops. Native American groups throughout the Americas, including the Pueblo, Cherokee, Creek and many others organized harvest festivals, ceremonial dances, and other celebrations of thanks for centuries before the arrival of Europeans in North America.- Found on www.history.com

I think of Thanksgiving as the Caramel Apple Pop of the holidays.

Described as green apple candy with a chewy caramel coating, this Tootsie Roll product is the essence of the Fall!

Ingredient for the Caramel Apple Pop include: sugar, corn syrup, partially hydrogenated soybean oil, skim milk, heavy cream, malic acid, whey, salt, artificial flavors, sodium caseinate, soya lecithin, artifical colors (including FD&C Blue 1, FD&C Red 40), Turmeric coloring.

Nutrition facts: Serving Size = 1 Pop

                       Total Calories = 60

                       Calories from Fat = 5

                       Total Fat = .5g

                       Saturated Fat - 0g

                       Trans Fat = 0g

                       Cholesterol = 0mg

                       Sodium = 15mg

                      Total Carbohydrate = 15g

                      FIber = 0g

                      Sugars = 10g

                      Protein = 0g

These sensational lollipops come packaged as 12- 48 count boxes per case. You can order as little as 5lbs or as much as a 30lb case.

Happy Thanksgiving! Happy Caramel Apple Pop!

James Monroe- 5th President

The "Era of Good Feelings" is what was used to describe James Monroe's term in office. The Federalists' party came to an end, the Missouri Compromise, which allowed Missouri, as a slave state, and Maine, as a free state, into the Union, and the Monroe Doctrine, which warned foreign powers against Western expansion and intervention, were huge developments during his presidency.

James Monroe's term was considered "the calm before the storm" as the civil war took place thereafter. President Monroe died on the 55th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.

So what kind of candy does the "era of good feelings" president bring to mind?  How about Dove Dark Chocolate Promises?  That makes me think of good feelings!

George Washington- The Hershey Bar

Our 1st American President should be compared to none other than the very first American Milk Chocolate bar! Milton Hershey introduced the first Hershey Milk Chocolate Bar in 1894. Just like George is the namesake of Washington, D.C., the Hershey bar is a namesake to Hershey, Pennsylvania!

As the leader of Constitutional Convention, George and 54 other delegates worked to create the set of standards Americans were to live by- also known as "The Constitution of the United States of America". As one of the oldest candy bars still in existence, the Hershey Bar sets the standard for what other chocolate bars try to live up to.

George Washington and The Hershey Bar- a perfect match!