ADVENT CALENDARS FOR ADULTS THIS CHRISTMAS
Move over chocolate, as advent calendars are hitting the bottle this Christmas season in Canada and the U.S.
The cardboard calendars, used to count down to Christ- mas are usually filled with chocolates behind each door as a build up to Christmas for children all around the world, but now companies are getting adults into the spirit, literally with beer, wine and spirits behind each door. They’re meant to appeal to nostalgic adults who still want to count the days till Christmas morning and get into the Christmas spirit with something other than a chocolate surprise usually wanted by children.
CHICKEN BONES AND CHRISTMAS IN THE MARITIMES Well we are not talking about the chicken bones you might be thinking of, but if you live in Eastern Canada and are over the age of 35 you are well aware of this Christmas candy. The pink, cinnamony candies with the bittersweet chocolate filling have been a Christmas staple on the East Coast since 1885. But this Maritime Christmas candy has American roots, as the candy was invented by an American candy-maker named, Frank Sparhawk who arrived over 132 years ago in St. Stephen, New Brunswick, Canada to take a job at Ganong. The late 19th century was the heyday of hard candy with candy companies, Ganong Bros. releasing up to three new varieties every month, which would then be retired and replaced. Sparhawk’s Chicken Bones were one of his many creations for Ganong during this time. In 2017, Ganong Brothers Ltd. the oldest candy company in Canada, all but stopped making hard candies, except for Chicken Bones, they have never been retired as they are still enjoyed to this day by many over the holiday season. Not much is known of why Sparhawk went with the name “Chicken Bones” — or how, for that matter, the candy has become so linked with Christmas for Maritimers.
10
SPOTLIGHT ON BUSINESS MAGAZINE • DECEMBER 2018
Made with FlippingBook Annual report