Fun Facts About Valentine's Day Candy
While there are many time honored traditions for Valentine’s Day, giving and getting candy is certainly one of the best. Valentine’s Day and candy just seem to go together, and this popular holiday has long been associated with sweet treats.
There are some fascinating pieces of trivia concerning the association of Valentine’s Day with candy, including these little nuggets:
Valentine’s Day Shopping and Gift Giving
- During a typical Valentine’s Day season, more than 36 million heart shaped boxes of candy will be given and received
- When asked, American men claim to prefer to receive boxed chocolates as a Valentine’s Day gift, followed by high end gourmet chocolates and then conversation hearts.
- Some 53% of men admin that they rely on the advice of family members and friends in order to find the perfect Valentine’s Day present for their wives and girlfriends. Some 11% of men rely instead of coworkers, 10% ask the cashier at the store, and 7% turn to the Internet.
- A solid majority of men, some 75%, claim that they plan ahead for Valentine’s Day, even if they don’t make the actual purchase until the last minute.
- While men prefer to receive chocolate for Valentine’s Day, most women prefer the gift of a nice dinner.
- The average man will spend some $130 on cards, candy, flowers, jewelry and other Valentine’s Day expenses. Most women spend less than half that amount.
- Children receive nearly 40% of all Valentine’s Day gifts and candy, followed by wives and mothers at 36%, fathers and husbands at 6%, grandparents at 3% and pets at 1%.
The History of Valentine’s Day
- During the 1800’s, doctors commonly suggested that their lovelorn patients eat lots of chocolate to soothe their nerves and calm their emotions.
- Chocolate has long been thought to be an aphrodisiac, and as far back as the Aztec empire this delectable creation was used in the pursuit of love.
- While we only know the heart shaped candies today, when they were first introduced, these imprinted candies were typically made into such shapes as horseshoes, baseballs, watches and even postcards, and they often sported messages that were far longer than the short and sweet ones we know today.
Conversation Hearts
- Approximately eight billion of these candy hearts will be produced in a typical year, enough to stretch from Rome, Italy to Valentine, Arizona and back again some 20 times.
- While the peak season for these delicious confections is Valentine’s Day, these candy hearts are produced 11 months out of the year.
- The manufacturers of these delicious confections introduce at least 10 new sayings every year, including “Puppy Love” and “Call Home”
- Every year the televised quiz show JEOPARDY! Includes a section dedicated to trivia about conversation hearts on its Valentine’s Day program.
