Certain candies catch my eye during the holidays that I normally avoid consuming throughout the regular year. Why? Well, by the time you gulp down whatever candy you just bought, chances are it has been sitting on a shelf for quite some time. I mean, I always see gas stations stocking limited edition bars made years ago.

However, since holiday candy is seasonal, you’re more likely to purchase a product that is fresher. And with the rare exception, candy tastes better the less it ages.

So while perusing the Valentine’s Day candy aisle at Walgreens, I spotted Wonka’s SweeTARTS Hearts. Actually, it was pretty hard to miss them with the festive packaging of blue and pink swirled in a very Wonka style. If I can find fresh SweeTARTS, I usually enjoy them, so I figured there could be great potential in these. Plus, they only cost 50 cents.

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Candy holidays are glorious! Yes, they probably have some significant meaning to them, but it’s entirely lost to me amongst seasonal candy craze. And my favorite of them all is Valentine’s Day. Why? Because it is the über secular holiday of them all, where you are advised to give candy and kiss the people you love.

Sure, you can show your love on any other holiday, but you can’t really get away with walking in your underwear in public with a set of plastic wings and a bow and arrow while pretending to be cupid without drawing attention/having the police called on you? Not that I have ever done that before….

Meandering to a point, I am a sucker for candy that doubles as romantic gestures. Does the human heart look like those paper cutouts that first graders exchange with one another? Nope, but that doesn’t stop me from seeing them in the store and going, “Aww… man I’d love to give those to someone special.” What can I say? I’m a romantic!

So when I spotted Brach’s Jube Jel Cherry Hearts for a dollar at Walgreens, I felt compelled to purchase them for my special valentine. But once the candy/love spell wore off back at home, I realized I haven’t had a date on Valentine’s Day since I was 19. Oh well… guess that means I’ll just have to eat them all myself.

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Valentine’s Day is still a good month away, but that does not mean Valentine’s Day candy is in any short supply. You’ve probably noticed that your local supermarkets and drugstores redesign their candy aisles the day after Christmas (seriously, it was snowmen and Santas one day and hearts the next).

A staple of the holiday is the famous (infamous to some) conversation heart created by Necco. These are those tiny Necco wafers shaped into hearts with small phrases written on each piece.

As they do every year, Necco has changed up the phrases. This year’s collection is culinary-themed. They include: “Recipe 4 Love, Table 4 Two, Stir My Heart, Top Chef, Sugar Pie, My Treat, Yum Yum, Honey Bun and Spice It Up.” My personal favorite of the bunch is Top Chef, but I suppose classics like “I luv U” never die out.

• Necco’s Website

Buy Necco Conversation Hearts Online:

• at Candy Crate
• at Candy Direct
• at Amazon.com

Candy heart generators:

• at despair.com
• at acme.com
• at cryptogram.com
• at bobarmadillo.com

hearts, Valentine

Once upon a time, Just Born’s Marshmallow Peeps were strictly an Easter candy, and they garnered a huge following, as evidenced by the amount of websites and articles devoted to them. Naturally, Candy Addict has already collected a lot of those links. Within the past few years, Peeps have been popping up all over the place. There are ghost and black cat Peeps for Halloween, stars and tree Peeps for Christmas, even patriotic Peeps for the Fourth of July. And there are Valentine’s Day Peeps for February 14th. If you’re looking for something a little different to give to your sweetie, then Peeps might be a good alternative to the standard box of chocolates.

This year, they have Vanilla and Strawberry Creme flavored Hearts, regular marshmallow Pink Hearts, and a Decorating Kit, where you can personalize 4 Peep Hearts with cake icing. But what really impressed me this year is their offer of recipes and craft projects with Peeps as major ingredients. Check out the Peeps I Love You Bouquet, Sweetheart Lollipops, and Strawberry Cupcakes.

Complete details are on their website, but as the entire thing is in Flash, I can’t link directly to the actual page. Just click on Valentine’s Day or check out the Featured Recipes and Crafts section for full instructions on how to make those nifty Valentine’s Day gifts.

• Marshmallow Peeps

Buy Valentine’s Day Peeps online:

• at Candy Crate
• at Amazon

candy, sweets, Peeps, Valentine’s day, gifts, crafts, projects, marshmallow