Sweetest Day is a holiday celebrated in the Midwestern United States, in parts of the Northeastern United States, in Arizona, and in Florida on the third Saturday in October. In 2023, Sweetest Day will be celebrated on October 21st. The holiday is a day to share romantic deeds or expressions, and acts of charity and kindness. It has been referred to as a "Hallmark holiday" or a "concocted promotion" created by the candy industry solely to increase sales of sweets. The first Sweetest Day was on October 10, 1921, in Cleveland, and it was planned by a committee of 12 confectioners chaired by candymaker C. C. Hartzell. The Sweetest Day in the Year Committee distributed over 20,000 boxes of candy to "newsboys, orphans, old folks, and the poor" in Cleveland. The holiday is still most prevalent in the Great Lakes region where it originated, including Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, and Wisconsin, but it has spread throughout the country. Sweetest Day celebrations are similar to Valentine’s Day in most locations, with the most popular gifts and acknowledgements being cards, flowers, chocolates, and candy.