We already know that candy in its various forms is the best Valentine’s Day gift. What about the worst? I surveyed our staff here at the Candy HQ about their worst Valentine’s Day gifts, either given or received, and found these selections:
- A crock pot
- An ant farm
- A singing stuffed animal
- A unicorn dancing on heart shaped clouds (No, I didn’t make this up.)
- Nothing. Zip. Nada. Bupkis.
Remember – Getting your sweetie a bad gift can be even worse than getting nothing at all. Be sure to get out today, before the pickings are even slimmer, to get your Valentine’s candy.
And if you get someone a unicorn-themed gift, be sure it is a candy unicorn, like on the cupcake above. They are sweeter than the normal ones you encounter.
Unicorn Cupcake by kristin_a.
You may have forgotten with all the Super Bowl hoopla, talk of chocolate rivers and birthdays for our mothers, but Valentine’s Day is this coming Sunday. Remember to make this a sweet holiday for your special sweetie. Everyone loves a little candy, so stop by your favorite store and stock up.
I just got a Valentine’s Day gift from Susan, who was in New York yesterday with Jacques Torres, one of our favorite chocolatiers. Jacques’ work is incredible. It may be a bit late to order something from him, but if you are in New York, stop by one of his stores. In LA? Stop by and see Hasty Torres. Together they are a prime example of how chocolate brings people together and makes love grow. Great folks.
Think chocolate is too normal for Valentine’s Day? How about a gift basket of classic or old-time candies? Sweethearts, Mary Janes, NECCO Wafers, circus peanuts, mints, Boston Baked Beans, Lemonheads – they are all timeless in their appeal. Sometimes classic candies can be a great way to show that your love, strong as it is, is a classic itself.
What are you getting for your sweetheart for Valentine’s Day?
Usually, we love spending time picking out our prize winners – debating the merits of each and every entry. But this month, we’re busy with cookie swaps (chocolate- and candy-based cookies, natch!), Secret Santa and picking out gifts for our fellow Candy Dish bloggers (Carl – this candy-themed hand bag has my name all over it).
That’s where random.org comes in. They helped us pick the winner of the Peeps prize pack last week, and this week they selected a winner for our Hershey prize pack. The lucky recipient is Elyse who hosts a Santa breakfast every year to raise money for toys and food to donate to a local shelter. That’s nice, right? I love good deeds. Great job, Elyse!
We have one more contest to announce tomorrow (Tuesday) so be sure to check back for your chance to win!
One way to save a bit of money and look fancy in the process is to make your own chocolate and candy gifts. We have a whole mess of holiday recipes on the CandyUSA site, and Susan shared her favorite and even gave a recipe for her signature peppermint bark. But first, how can we take some homemade stuff and make it look nice enough to be a gift for someone?
Find decorative tins to put gifts in.
Usually a tin holds only one or two homemade items. Especially if you are making something with a strong flavor or scent, like Susan’s peppermint bark or else your own concoction of bacony chocolatey goodness, it’s best to separate the sweets you make. Refer to our tips for storing candy when you package your goodies. Put the cand in a tin, along with some colored tissue paper and you have a nice gift.
Make your own gift baskets.
This can be a fun way of incorporating your homemade candy treats with something else, possibly a commercial product from the store. For example, if I were Susan and wanted to give Carl (that’s me) a holiday gift, I would put some of the peppermint bark in a gift basket with a package of Trung Nguyen coffee or maybe Luzianne coffee with chicory. Either way – I’m not picky. Include a fun holiday mug and a chocolate bar for extra sweetness and voila – your own gift basket. Wrap it in cellophane and you have a nice-looking homemade, custom made gift for less than it would cost to order a gift basket.
These supplies – baskets, tins, tissue, cellophane – can all be found at your local craft supply store.
What would you want in your gift basket if Susan were making you one?
Candy Gift Basket by Sifu Renka.
Reggie is our IT person. In essence, he is the guy who keeps our company web site running, on top of making sure the computers work, the network is functional and even steps outside his official role to help train people how to do advanced things with Word, like underlining. He’s part MacGyver, part trapeze artist and part monkey trainer, a true jack of all trades, master of many. Reggie is also my lunch buddy and the only person I have found who has had a range of types of jobs that rivals my own background. Now he can add a new title to his repertoire – that of Marriage Saver.
Last week something happened and our web site went down, so we had a quick IM interchange:
Carl: You know our site is down,right?
Reggie: yes
Carl: okay. I didn’t know if Susan had explained it as eloquently as I just did.
Reggie: back up
Carl: Thanks!
Carl: See, if you didn’t eat meat, none of this would have been necessary.
Reggie: If I did not eat meat you would have to share your house with cows and chickens
Carl: Thanks for saving my marriage, Reggie.
Reggie: you’re welcome
Reggie, I would give you a nice gift like the one in the photo here but it doesn’t quite look like the type of thing one guy gets for another, so I will just sock you in the arm next time I see you. Anyway, thanks for your help with everything. This place would be like a boat lost at sea without your kind assistance. For the record, though, the gift box would have contained something good from the candy room.
Readers: do you ever stop to thank your IT folks for all they do? A good IT person is rarely seen, just like Scotty or a Shaolin Priest. Be sure to tell them thanks from time to time and get them something sweet to savor, so they feel your appreciation long after you have left their cubes.
The Cos had a funny skit – really I think all his skits are funny – about Mothers Day and Fathers Day. He said that mothers had it best because they would get roses, perfume, candy and other such niceties while fathers would get a new pair of work gloves. Too true. Too true. Dad gets the short end of the stick from time to time so this Sunday when you hand Dad his gift, include some of his favorite candy along with the wool socks and lighter fluid. He is a man who appreciates more than just the utilitarian side of life, so let’s celebrate the side of him that likes the finer aspects.
My Dad likes chewy, gummy candy, like mint leaves, orange slices and jelly beans. Heck – he might even like the Jelly Belly motorcycle, if it came with some of their candies! I think I will include some treats with the gift I send him. He is hard to buy for, as I suspect many fathers are, but at least I know he will eat the candy and other foods I send him, bundled with a gift card to his local book store. He devours books about as fast as he devours candy, so it’s a good pairing. Let’s face it – as gifts go, food is a classic gift, and candy is the icing at the top of the cake of the food of life.
I haven’t used that many prepositions in one sentence for quite a long time. My work here is done.
What are you giving your father for Fathers Day? What kind of candy does your Dad like?
Life is like a box of chocolates by Mykl Roventine.
With all this hoopla over Valentine’s Day, you might as well let the world know your favorite candy gift. What do you hope to get from your sweetheart this year? Better yet, what are you getting your sweetheart? Chocolates? Conversation hearts? Maybe circus peanuts? Nothing says good loving like circus peanuts.
Me, I am a big sucker for Reese’s peanut butter hearts. I think my lovely wife already knew this but at the end of the week when I bug her to read this she is sure to bring me one. I am a lucky man.
What treat tickles your ticker when your sweetie gives it to you?
Peanut Butter Heart by Bob.Fornal.
