1. Halloween
As I mentioned before, Halloween is basically the King of all candy holidays. But, does it truly have the best candy? Without a doubt, Halloween has a huge quantity of candy, but as for the quality or diversity of said candy, there isn't much to mention.
Besides the occasional Reese's pumpkins or Halloween-themed wrappers, there isn't much to differentiate Halloween candy from the normal candy that one eats throughout the year. That is, besides candy corn and mellowcreme pumpkins.
Though they are debatably fall candies and not Halloween candies, for the purposes of this evaluation, they will be considered, because I absolutely adore candy corn; I eat it by the bucket. I'm less crazy about Mellowcreme Pumpkins, but I know a fair amount of people who go crazy for them. So, while Halloween may lose points for a lack of creativity (candy-wise), candy corn and Mellowcreme pumpkins pick up the slack.
2. Christmas
Christmas is exciting for several reasons: presents, snow, decorations; I could go on. One of the many benefits to the Christmas season is the candy that comes along with it. Candy canes, the most popular Christmas candy, manage to be both refreshing and nostalgic.
Not only do they taste deliciously sweet, but they make your breath minty fresh, which is useful if you're planning on gorging yourself on other Christmas goodies. Besides candy canes, Christmas is also known for the vast assortment of chocolate Santa's, elves, or Jesuses that sneak their way into people's stockings.
If the chocolates aren't shaped like festive figures, they are imbued with hints of peppermint or berry flavors, making Christmas chocolates different from year-round chocolates. Though Christmas lacks the quantity of candy present in Halloween, it gets points for its distinctly "Christmas" candies that differ from year-round candy.
3. Valentine's Day
Ah, Valentine's Day. A holiday you either love or hate, which is usually dependent on your relationship status at the time. Sorry to all the singles out there, but there's almost nothing better than receiving chocolates from your significant other; it truly makes the candy that much sweeter.
Valentine's Day is known for fancy chocolate boxes, and though the decoration is nice, the candies are pretty normal and not specific to Valentine's Day. Similar to Halloween, there are Valentine's Day themed candies, but none of the actual flavors change, it's all marketing.
The only "true" Valentine's Day candy are Sweethearts, the lovely, chalky candy hearts with cute "I LUV U" messages on them. You either love 'em or hate 'em, making them perfect for Valentine's Day. In my opinion, Valentine's Day doesn't even come close to having the best candy. Sweethearts are not enough to surpass Halloween or Christmas as the Ultimate Candy Holiday, and neither are the cute chocolate boxes.
I guess sometimes love doesn't conquer all.
4. Easter
Can anyone think of Easter without the Easter bunny? And eggs? What about Peeps, Chocolate bunnies, and Cadbury Creme Eggs? Candies like these create the perfect atmosphere for candy holidays, allowing Easter to, in my mind, obtain the title of the Ultimate Candy Holiday.
Easter balances quantity and quality perfectly, having both a variety of "Easter" candies, as well as Easter-fied regular candy. Classic Easter Candies, like Peeps, the fluffy, marshmallow chicks, bring youthful enjoyment to both the young and the old.
The cute chocolate bunnies that can be found in everyone's Easter baskets somehow taste better than the chocolate itself, perhaps because of the nostalgia they bring. And who can forget Cadbury Creme Eggs: the highlight of any good Easter basket. These three candies represent a small portion of distinctly "Easter" candies, and prove that Easter is truly the best Candy Holiday.
All of these holidays are truly amazing and only improved by the presence of candy. Though I staunchly believe that Easter is the one and only Ultimate Candy Holiday, I can understand how my runner-ups could be the favorites for other people. Either way, I'm ready for the candy coming up on Halloween, and then Christmas, Valentine's Day, and Easter. Happy candy-eating, everyone!
