Conversation Hearts

 “Valentine, Be Mine may be heard but once a year, but the loving thoughts and warm feelings should never disappear.”—SLS

February 14 is...

Valentine's Day

How many times have you spelled love with tiny candy hearts? Do you know how it all started – when, where and by whom? Well, awaken those you love to a little trivia. On Valentine's Day share with your family and friends to make the day a little more interesting.

Embrace the Past...

1847

Oliver R. Chase of Boston invents and patents the first American candy machine, a lozenge cutter. This marks the founding of the nation's candy industry, the beginning of commercial manufacture. With his brother, Silas Edwin, he founds Chase and Company, the pioneer member of the NECCO family.

1866

Conversation hearts were invented by Daniel Chase, brother of NECCO's founder. These first hearts had printed paper notes tucked inside. The lengthy, old-fashioned sayings included such wistful thoughts as "Please send a lock of your hair by return mail."

Present Day

Every Valentine's Day the company presents new messages on the tiny colored hearts that have been a holiday tradition since the Civil War. NECCO must produce about 100,000 pounds of the candy hearts every day in order to meet the Valentine demand, when about 8 billion hearts are sold in six weeks.

What was/is your favorite Conversation Heart? Each tiny heart offers a quick refresher of some original sayings. . .

Candy Hearts

February brings expressions of love
Stamped on tiny candy hearts

Which ones to eat, which ones to share?

Questions arise before sending starts

Valentine, Be Mine, the ones of first choice
Add up to more than just a few
Intended for those very special friends
Some of whom even receive two

 

Next in line, a choice of mine
White with pink letters, Cutie Pie
Sweet and cute as a button
The ones nobody would deny

Let me see, the next ones I’ll eat

Kiss Me, the blue one, quickly disappears

My lips alone enjoy this treat

As a sly grin instantly appears

Then there lay the perfect pair
Best Friends they both represent
Expressly set aside for buddies
With whom the best times I spent

What’s left? Sweetheart, True Love 
Love You Forever, all meant for just one 
Gathered, bagged, tied with a string 
Stored in a box ’til time to be undone

©Remembering
Sharla Lee Shults

Special for Valentine's Day: How do I Love Thee