Sweetest Day isn't for everyone, but it's celebrated by some lovers and candy enthusiasts on Saturday, Oct. 18. It's also gaining momentum with younger people and those who want to celebrate romance in a more casual way than Valentine's Day, research suggests.

Herbert Birch Kingston, a Cleveland, Ohio candy company worker and philanthropist initiated the special celebratory day was started in 1922. He wanted to bring happiness to shut-ins, orphans and people who were confined to their homes or otherwise overlooked.

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Kingston started giving out candy to those people and the holiday gained momentum. It's celebrated now on the third Saturday of October. That gives sweets lover or just plain lovers the jump on Halloween candy and delights. Chocolates, cards and flowers are the most popular gifts and appreciations.

Sweetest Day truly took off during the 1930s with stars like Ziegfeld girl Ann Pennington giving candy to newspaper boys in Cleveland and the great Theda Bara giving candy to Cleveland hospital patients and people going to local movie theaters.

The holiday had been celebrated primarily in the U.S. Midwest around the Great Lakes and Northeast, but has gone national in recent years. As the years went by, the holiday crossed over into a romantic day as well, a more informal version of Valentine's Day.

While Sweetest Day continues to be celebrated by many with sweets and romantic gifts, others disregard it as merely a way for Hallmark Cards and candy manufacturers to manufacture some sales.

Which isn't to say Hallmark doesn't appreciate and profit from the candy-maker's holiday. Hallmark said it started making Sweetest Day cards in the mid-1960s and now makes 70 Sweetest Days for sale, starting at $1.99. About 80 percent of those cards involve romance or love.

Most cards are exchanged between lovers and significant others, according to Hallmark. Research by the company found the holiday was becoming popular with "younger people who prefer trendy designs and a casual or lighthearted tone," Hallmark said.

TagsSweetest Day, Love, Happy, Music, Celebrate, hallmark, candy, Herbert Birch Kingston, chocolate