Guest post written by Jody Stinson
Although I have not eaten a Sweethearts® in years, I was sad to learn that there won’t be any for the 2019 Valentine’s season.
I still remember the anticipation I felt when I opened the girly colored boxes as a child. I laid out all the hearts to read the messages and decide which ones I would give my friends.
One particular year, my sisters and I were each sorting through our own boxes and commenting on the messages. Like baseball cards, the messages involved degrees of rareness. While sorting, I discovered a rare Sweethearts in my box. I think it said, “Guess Who?”
One of my sisters instantly wanted the heart to give to a friend of hers. After a bit of begging, I decided to give her the piece of candy. She still owes me for this act of extreme sacrifice, which would probably be more believable if I could remember with a greater degree of certainty exactly what this oh-so-important message was.
Although modern hearts have messages like “Text Me” on them, original conversation candy wasn’t shaped like a heart and had a bit more to say. Some of the original messages included, “Married in pink, he will take a drink,” “Married in White, you have chosen right,” and “Married in Satin, Love will not be lasting.” (I’m not a poet, but do Satin and Lasting rhyme?)
Since these original candies were also larger, they could be broken in half. People would play games that involved finding the other half of their candy—and potentially their romantic other half as well.
Better yet, the couple would know exactly how to dress for their wedding day since both satin and the color pink were out—and white was in.
Sweethearts candy also makes an appearance in the book about my favorite redhead, Anne of Green Gables. After Gilbert presents her with a heart, she grinds it beneath her foot. So romantic!
Although Sweethearts® will be back in 2020, you still won’t find now extinct phrases like “Hep Cat” and “Fax Me.” Nor will you find advice on what to wear to your wedding. But people will still use the candies to express their love to their sweetheart, or perhaps to drown their depression over their lack thereof.
One message of love that will never go out of style is found in Christ’s redemptive love for His people. Although not printed on candy hearts, this message is printed on our human hearts.
“This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them; And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more.” Hebrews 10:16-17
Have you ever given or received a Sweethearts®? What is your favorite message?
