December 19, 2021 - National Pear Month | National Hard Candy Day
Welcome to December 19, 2021 on the National Day Calendar. Today we celebrate gifts that keep on giving and candies that go the distance. Anna: Hey Marlo, you’re a numbers guy. If someone gave you all the gifts from the song The Twelve Days of Christmas, do you know how many total gifts would you end up with? Marlo: Y’know, I’ve never even thought of that. Anna: You would have 364 items in total, which are mostly bird related. Marlo: Yeah, there’s no re-gifting those. Anna: The best part would be the 12 pear trees (with partridges, of course). But before you buy someone a pear tree, you’d better check for what variety they prefer because there are a lot! Can you guess how many? Marlo: Marlo guesses Anna: Get this…There are 3,000 different kinds of pears in the world. Which is perfect because that means you have plenty to choose from during National Pear Month. In 1949, Bill and Dorothy Harmsen founded Jolly Rancher in Golden, Colorado. They chose the name because it sounded friendly and had a bit of western flair. It was also a nod to the Jolly Farmer, a drugstore in their hometown of Minneapolis. Originally, the Harmsens sold ice cream, chocolate, and candy, but because ice cream sales plummeted during the winter months, they focused their business on producing hard candies. The first flavors were grape, apple, and fire stix, but their most popular flavor—cherry—didn’t come along till years later. Today, Jolly Rancher produces the most popular hard candy of all time proving that a little perseverance can pay off big! On National Hard Candy Day, savor the long lasting sweetness of a candy that sticks with you. I’m Anna Devere and I’m Marlo Anderson. Thanks for joining us as we Celebrate Every Day. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices