National Re-Gifting Day
December 19 (usually the Thursday prior to Christmas)
This day was created for people attending company Christmas parties where gifts to be exchanged are many time items which employees had already received and then passed on to fellow staffers. Research shows 40% of gifts at those parties are given this way. Not surprisingly, a fruitcake is the most re-gifted present.
Hard Candy Day
December 19
According to National Day Calendar, most hard candies are 100% sugar with flavoring and colors added. To achieve a hard candy, confectioners boil a sugar syrup to 320 degrees Fahrenheit. Once the temperature is reached, the hot, pliable sugar is poured into molds or rolled and folded into shapes and left to cool. Once cool, the solid sugar becomes hardened and brittle. The first hard candies such as lemon drops and peppermints were likely prescribed as a remedy for stomach ailments.
Hard candy became popular in the seventeenth century as sugar prices fell. Previously, hard candy was something that only the well-to-do could afford. By the mid-1800s, over 400 companies were manufacturing this popular treat. In 2015, Jolly Ranch was the bestselling hard candy.
Today’s Birthdays of Note….
Jake Gyllenhaal– Actor – born in Los Angeles, California
Cecily Tyson – Actor – born in New York City, New York
