Flag-Wavers-R-Us

In spite of our many differences, Americans overall are pretty patriotic. In fact, based upon the results of one part of the World Values Survey, patriotism level among Americans is among the top 3 ranking countries in the world. You can see this patriotism evident in our holidays throughout the year. 

Memorial Day, originally May 30th, is a day of remembrance for those who have died in our nation's service. It was originally designed to honor fallen soldiers of the Civil War; therefore the southern states didn't get on board with the holiday until after WWI when it became dedicated to the fallen in all wars. 

Flag Day is a more obscure holiday. Most folks carry with them a vague recollection of toting little stiff flags home from school every year, but beyond that, more pertinent details remain dim.  Begun in 1885 by a school teacher in Fredonia, Wisconsin, Flag Day marks the anniversary of the Flag Resolution of 1777. Truman signed an act of Congress in 1949 designating June 14th as the official day of recognition. 

Veterans Day is sometimes confused in function with Memorial Day. But the crucial difference here is that Veterans Day honors all those, living or dead, who have honorable service in the finest military on earth. Celebrated on November 11th, it was originally call Armistice Day until the end of WWI. 

The most important and undoubtedly the loudest of our national holidays is Independence Day, commemorating the signing of the Declaration of Independence by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1777.  It took those signers a great deal of courage, costing some of them their fortunes and even their lives. We pay homage to those heroes who started it all with tumultuous revelry and colorful fireworks.

CARSON wrappedhersheys.com offers a variety of fine patriotic favors sporting the proud colors of "Old Glory" in grand fashion. But we don't stop at national holidays! We offer red, white and blue birth announcements, graduation favors and more, giving Americans ample opportunity for flag waving in uniquely chocolate ways!

Mysterious Origins

Weddings can be elaborate, expensive affairs; and some are so intricate they require the assistance of a hired planner to successfully orchestrate. But this has not always been the case. Let’s take a little journey back in time and peek in on a few earlier versions of nuptial practices and how some elements have evolved into modern traditions.

In early days, marriages had nothing at all to do with love. Rather, they were unions of necessity more than anything else. The largest tribe tended to be the most successful, so any measures that could be taken to increase the tribe were considered not only proper, but expected of any man worth his share of mammoth meat. In these situations the bride was often captured from a neighboring tribe and carried off. Being a decidedly risky operation, the groom needed the assistance of his friends to help battle off her enraged relatives. These same friends stood at his side during the marriage ritual, weapons at the ready to fend off any last minute rescue attempts. Hence, the tradition of the best man and ushers was born. This scenario also explains the practice of carrying the bride over the threshold, as proceedings thus far hardly sound agreeable. I don’t think we’d be going out on a limb by supposing the bridal coiffure to be in a state of marked disarray by the end of her wedding day.

After all of this tumult, the groom would usually disappear with his new bride for a while giving tempers time to cool and the situation to be accepted and more-or-less gotten over. This early “honeymoon” certainly looks quite a bit different than today’s trip to Niagara Falls.

Over time, barbarity gave way to civilization (to a certain extent) and marriage came to be viewed in terms of money, and political or social gain. Enter the arranged marriage. As women were pretty much considered property of the male head of the household, here is where the father giving away the bride comes into play.

In those days, it was BYOC (bring your own cake) or biscuit, really. These were typically heaped in a pile until the time was ripe for them to be grabbed by the celebrants, bitten into and the remainder hurled higgledy-piggledy at the happy fleeing couple. All the tasty morsels that fell to the ground were hurriedly scrambled after by young maids and rapidly devoured as this was seen as a measure of luck toward making a happy union for themselves. This eyebrow raising exercise thankfully evolved into the more flattering tradition of throwing the bridal bouquet. Another surprising result of this practice was the invention of the wedding cake. In the 1660’s a fastidious but unnamed French chef was appalled by the unsightly biscuit pile at a wedding and created the first multi-tiered wedding cake, single handedly installing one of the most well recognized icons of the modern wedding.

As mysterious and seemingly lost to time as the root cause of the feud between the Hatfields and the McCoys, traditional beginnings can come from unexpected sources. We here at CARSON wrappedhersheys.com have our foot firmly wedged in the door of new traditions by offering a wide array of personalized chocolate favors for all your wedding needs. While a comparatively new player on the scene, who can say how our contribution today will morph into tomorrow’s accepted yet inexplicable tradition? Only time will tell… 

Ceremonial Similitude

Rituals.  The word conjures shadowy images steeped in the obscure mystery of ages past. On a dark, moonless night, cloaked, hooded figures in solemn procession glide toward a high stone alter. Flickering torchlight illuminates the path flanked with onlookers swaying in droning chant.  Standing atop the dais, an imposing figure, his billowing robes grand and elaborate, outstretches his arms to the night, prepared to anoint the accomplished brethren.  Eerie, isn’t it?

The word ritual comes from the Latin ritualis “relating to rites,” from ritus “rite,” and has been in practice since the dawn of humanity.  Remarkably similar in characteristic across the broad expanse of history and cultures, rituals are societies’ ways to mediate significant transitions in people’s lives—transitions that could bring about changes in social standing, life situations and even life itself.  We call them ceremonies, but that’s simply another word for rituals. 

When you really think about, some of our modern ceremonies differ little from the scene described above.  Case in point: graduation.  A podium replaces the altar, electric lights replace torches, the cap replaces the hood, and “Pomp and Circumstance” replaces chanting.  But in the end what you have is a procession of cloaked figures filing forth one by one to a raised dais, whereupon another more prominent cloaked figure stands ready to bestow honors.  Aside from a few paltry details, not much has changed. 

But there is one thing that has changed over time.  There is a new item gaining favor among ritual goers, something unheard of in the days of our predecessors: custom wrapped Hershey’s bars as party favors.  Just like so many rituals throughout history have undoubtedly been followed by uproarious making of merry, today’s graduation parties can compare with the best.  At CARSON wrappedhersheys.com, we want to be a part of all modern rituals, and there’s no better way to get invited than to bring something unique—and chocolate—to the party! 

The Evolutionary Wrapper

You know you’ve arrived when people start viewing your company history and products as “memorabilia.” You’ve seen it a hundred times. Somebody has a game room in their house full of vintage advertisements from companies like Coca Cola, Harley Davidson and Campbell’s Soup. Hershey’s ranks high on the collect-ability scale as well. In fact, The Hershey Company regularly releases collections of reproduction vintage advertisements for current promotions. People love nostalgia. We know, because we’ve got our own Hershey Museum in the works here at CARSON wrappedhersheys.com.

 

Take the Hershey’s bar wrapper. In the last 100 years, it has had 16 versions, and in studying them you see the history not only of the product, but of societal norms of advertising, and legal changes in food processing and packaging. (To view all 16 versions, visit the Hershey Community Archives.) On the back of the 1900-1902 version, it states, “…is especially recommended for Cyclists, Athletes, Ladies and Children. It is most sustaining, being amalgamated by special process with the finest Fresh Milk.” Face it; people just don’t talk like that anymore (much to this writer’s personal disgruntlement). Nor is candy any longer recommended, seemingly like a medication, to specific groups of people; however, we must commend Hershey’s early identification of a very clear and binding link between women and chocolate. The wrapper then goes into a brief discussion of how well Hershey cares for their cows. As incongruous as this mention seems to us today due to vast improvements in health laws, obviously this topic was of sufficient concern to the public in 1900 that Hershey’s felt the need to address it on the product wrappers.

The last year the Baby in the Cocoa Bean was seen on the front of the bars was 1911; thereafter it was relegated to an image on the back, replaced with the block letter HERSHEY’S still in use today. It is upon this universally recognized logo, created almost a century ago, that CARSON built its business with the infinitely popular HERESHEIS® wrapper design.

 

The next substantial Hershey’s wrapper revision took place in 1973, when new packaging laws required today’s familiar nutritional label on most packaging. The last major change took place in 2003, when Hershey moved away from the long-used foil and paper wrapper to the new crimped fin-seal style in use today.

New Year Sparks New Creations

Creativity, innovation, imagination—these are qualities that by their very nature, never run out. The desire to express them is second only to the sheer need to do so. When inspiration sparks flights of fancy, the results, while often unpredictable (and sometimes bewildering) are always delightful.

The New Year brings with it thoughts of newness in many venues.  Resolutions are solemnly avowed, wardrobes reassessed, and new ideas rise to the surface.  In the business world, focus turns to new products. 

In a creative business like ours, ideas are as prolific as rabbits, with successive ideas giving birth to the next, new and improved generation.  Take the valentine, for example.  The most abundant givers of these sweet notes of endearment are children. For the most part unchanged over the years, valentines consist of simple pull-apart cards that are crammed into hand made, decorated shoe boxes.  We’ll go one better.

How about a valentine wrapped around chocolate?  It’s a greeting and a gift, all wrapped up into one delightful package.  Classmates will certainly remember who gave that valentine!

With the New Year we have launched a new assortment of valentine designs, all original, all exclusively our own. But they’re not all geared toward children.  Adults can get in on this action as well, and welcome!

Remember fun?  Why not take a step back in time and surprise your coworkers with chocolate valentines that reflect your personal style? Go a little wild this year! Irresistibly playful, our designs are sure to kick off a bit of spontaneous gaiety at work. Kids shouldn’t hog all the fun.

Our artists have outdone themselves this time.  When the word came to make new valentines, they didn’t--they couldn’t--hold back.  Take a look on our website; we think you’ll be impressed.

Santa Claus is Coming to Town

Let’s talk for just a few moments about the American version of Santa Claus:  bringer of toys, rider of sleighs; that whiskered, red clad, twinkle eyed, pot bellied, reindeer calling, ho-ho-ho-ing mascot of Christmas.   Just who is he and where did he come from anyway? 

Research reveals he is a culmination of centuries of legends, starting with a 4th century Turkish Monk renowned for overt generosity and kindness toward children to whom he would clandestinely toss gifts in through windows.  He became known as St. Nicholas.  The anniversary day of his death was celebrated as his feast day on December 6th. 

The protestant reformation of the 16th century banned all feasting and veneration of Catholic saints.  (There’s always a party pooper...)  But the feast of St. Nicholas was so beloved the populace was reluctant to give it up, so it became combined with the nearby holiday of Christmas.  (…and there’s always a way around them.) 

A German legend becomes blended with this tradition in the form of the Christ child, or Christkindl, who left gifts in homes into which he gained entry via keyholes.  This German word corrupted over the years into today’s familiar Kris Kringle. 

The man in red is getting closer now.  We’ve got name recognition, anonymous gifting, windows and keyholes so far. 

Ever so appropriately, one Christmas day in the latter part of the 17th century Dutch immigrants landed in America, bringing with them the legend of Sinter Klaas.  This version of St. Nicholas was alleged to have ridden around town every Christmas eve distributing gifts.  But it wasn’t all whistles and baby dolls.  He rode in company with a figure called Black Peter who would inflict whippings on naughty children.  This line from a popular song, “So be good for goodness sake,” takes on a bit more threatening tone in the light of this information, doesn’t it? 

Roughly a century later, this Sinter Klaas character first appeared in media as St. A. Claus.  The ominous personage of Black Peter faded from view,  to the relief of children far and wide. 

In 1822, the precursor to our modern image of the American Santa Claus emerged from the words of poem written by Clement Clarke Moore, “The Night before Christmas.”  He was portrayed as a shape shifting elf that could change size by simply laying a finger on the side of his nose.  This is how we learned what a vital role the chimney actually played in Santa’s nocturnal shenanigans.

But it hasn’t even been a century since the true modern version of the American Santa Claus was born.  The image of Santa as a human sized, portly man with a white beard and kind, twinkling eyes was honed by artist Haddon Sundblom in the employ of Coca-Cola.  Beginning in 1931 he created a series of billboards and other advertisements that have perfected the image of our modern day Santa Claus. 

Although we have come to what might be called the nationally recognized image of Santa Claus, there is ample room for interpretation.  Here at Carson Wrapped Hershey's our artists have exercised their full creativity to produce a variety of wrappers that feature this illustrious icon of indulgence that some of us--many decades into life--still believe in. 

Thanksgiving… a Little Food for Thought

History is a fascinating topic.  While it’s easy to understand the source of a given tradition, the depth of the original meaning behind it can sometimes be clouded by the passage of time and the changes of lifestyle.  Even so, Americans today cherish this important holiday and sometimes try to celebrate it in new and creative ways. 

In 1621, a small group of newcomers to the northeastern coast gathered together with some local residents in celebration of friendship and thanks.  We have little concept today, in the day of modern mega stores and a more or less united society, of the tenuous position of the lives of our forebears from one season to the next.  Most of us have never suffered the indignity of playing tug-o-war with a rat over the last scrap of moldy bread, or the marked astonishment of receiving butterfly kisses from the fletching of an arrow whizzing past our cheek.  Therefore, the giving of thanks for a good harvest and brotherhood between neighbors would carry a depth of feeling for these hardy souls many of us can scarcely imagine.

Through several starts and stops over the centuries, the tradition has survived and is going strong today, if perhaps with (gratefully) lighter hearts.  Carson helps celebrate that with a variety of delightful Thanksgiving wrapper designs people use as personalized party favors or greetings.  My mother purchased our “Autumn Squares” bars and brought them to a church retreat.  She made some darling cloth pumpkin centerpieces for the tables and arranged the bars in circles around them, one for each guest at each table.  She excitedly reported that they were a huge hit and everyone raved over how wonderful and clever they found them to be.

Candy bars around tables in a comfortable building with well-feasted merry makers is far removed from the original Thanksgiving dinner.  However, our ancestors made the journey and suffered the hardships in the hope that someday their descendants would live in a land of freedom and plenty.  To say they were successful is putting it mildly, and we have not forgotten that.  We honor you, brave pilgrims; and we’ve got the candy bars to prove it!

A Twist to the Traditional Holiday Greetings

Did you ever wonder how the tradition of sending Christmas cards started?  Like many traditions, it began with one person and a clever idea.  In 1843 Englishman Henry Cole was too busy to hand write personal Christmas greetings.  So, he commissioned artist John Calcott Horsley to create a greeting with attractive artwork and holiday sentiment that he could send to all the people on his list.  Little did either man know they were kicking off a tradition that would transcend cultures and continents for more than a century and a half, with still no end in sight!

After 164 years of the same, unchanged idea, Carson Wrapped Hershey’s Chocolates decided it was time to tweak tradition a bit and make a good idea much better.  We wrap a holiday greeting around a delicious Hershey’s chocolate bar, turning it into a chocolate greeting card! 

Customers of Carson love seeing their special holiday message wrapped on a Hershey’s® chocolate bar. Knowing their sweet, personalized greeting card will stand out among the rest is why many people have started a new tradition with wrapped chocolate greetings they send to friends, family and even clients year after year.

There is no shortage of options from which to choose.  Carson offers a wide variety of holiday greetings for different faiths, celebrations and events.  Customers will find everything from reverent religious scenes to snazzy Santa; Kwanzaa candles to Hanukkah menorahs; fill-in-the-blank chocolate gift tags to customized corporate gifts; all the way to birth announcements for special holiday deliveries. 

People who are looking for new ways to start new traditions of their own can start by looking at Carson Wrapped Hershey’s® Chocolates for unique personalized holiday greetings their friends and family will look forward to receiving year after year.

Customer Service Week 2007

If your company celebrates Customer Service Week every year, but you weren’t quite sure when or why the event came to life, here’s a little history… Customer Service Week began in 1988, to honor & recognize the people on the front lines of the service revolution. Four years later, in 1992, Customer Service Week became a nationally recognized event to be celebrated annually during the first full week of October. For more on Customer Service Week, visit www.csweek.com.

Personalized Hershey’s chocolates allow companies to reward & recognize their customer service representatives with a sweet & personal chocolate treat that is great to boost morale, motivation & teamwork. View our Thank You collection for ideas on how to recognize your reps.

In honor of Customer Service Week 2007, it is only appropriate to give a shout out to the “front lines” of Carson Wrapped Hershey’s Chocolates... Our Customer Service Representatives! Our reps are the lifeline between our company and customers. This is a great time to tell them how much we appreciate their hard work & dedication.

Dastar Bandi (Turban Tying)

Since about 1500 and the time of Guru Nanak Dev *1 (the founder of Sikhism) Sikhs have been wearing the turban. The dastar, as the Sikh turban is commonly known, is an article of faith. The dastar is mandatory and all baptized Sikhs are required to wear a dastar.
The turban is not to be regarded as mere cultural paraphernalia.    When a Sikh dons a turban, the turban ceases to be just a piece of cloth and becomes one and the same with the Sikh's head. The turbans as well as the other articles of faith worn by Sikhs, have an immense spiritual as well as temporal significance. The symbolisms of wearing a turban are many from it being regarded as a symbol of sovereignty, dedication, self-respect, courage and piety but the reason all practicing Sikhs wear the turban is just one - out of love and obedience of the wishes of the founders of their faith.
The Turban is such a crucial article of faith that many Sikhs consider it to be more important than all the other Ks. Turbans may be of any color, and is tied in many different ways and styles.  Normally older people tend to wear white turbans thus reflecting their acquired wisdom. Saffron and deep blue are the colors of battle. In modern society, the color of the turban is irrelevant.
Many Sikhs tie a small turban for the first time on the head of a child in presence of Sri Guru Granth Sahib. At the age of about five years, the ceremony of Dastar Sajauni (tying of turban) is performed for male children Either an Akhand Path or Khulla Path is performed to celebrate “Dastar Sajauni” ceremony in presence of the Sangat.
Traditionally when a boy reaches between the ages of eleven to sixteen, he is taken to a Gurudwaras (for the formal adult ceremony) and there, in the presence of the Guru Granth Sahib and following Ardas, his first (adult and traditionally spiritual) turban is ceremonially tied on by the Granthi or by a Sikh elder. This ceremony designates the respect with which the turban is regarded and is called the Dastar Bandi. 
This summer Carson was privileged to design a custom personalized wrapper for a Dastar Bandi.  It is an honor to see our product touching lives cross culturally for momentous occasions through out the world.

It Doesn’t Hurt to be Safe

To get prepared for National Safety Month this June, Carson employees attended a meeting held by Joe, our safety guru. The meeting served as a great reminder of the many ways safety is important in our environment.

Promoting safety with a company meeting is great, but promoting it with chocolate is even better. See our Safety Campaign collection to promote and reward safety in your workplace.

One company who rewards safety in the workplace on a regular basis is UPS. Being that a large number of their employees are out on the road, it’s important to keep safe practices on their minds. My favorite chocolate bar UPS orders from us has such a powerful message and makes their drivers aware that they are not only being safe for themselves, but for the people waiting for them at home.

Each week of National Safety Month has a different theme to promote safety: Workplace, Home, Community & Driving Safety. Click here to read about shocking statistics that could have been prevented by safety awareness, or a little chocolate reminder.

Something New for the Graduation Party Circuit

Summer is well on its way, bringing the graduation party season along with it. Looking back to my own high school & college graduation parties, it would have been nice to have something different for my guests that they weren’t seeing at the 2, 3 or 25 other parties they were attending the same day. Now that I work at Carson, its fun to go through our graduation wrapper collection and pick out a few favorites that I might use at a party of my own or recommend to customers who just can’t decide what to order. Our Caps Off wrapper design is a classy & elegant way to congratulate the college graduate for their accomplishment

The modern Grad-ulations design is able to showcase the senior or graduation photo, and available in multiple colors to represent the school or coordinate with the party. Everyone at Carson loves the Come a Long Way wrapper.  We enjoy seeing just how much the graduate has (or hasn’t) changed since childhood.

Our Colorful Grad and Pencil Party are cute & colorful favors for the younger graduates that would be great to hand out to classmates and teachers to celebrate a successful year.

There is a favor for any age in our graduation collection, and your guests will appreciate something new. You can only eat so much cake in a day…

Baby Gifts with the WOW Effect

We’ve taken our customer’s favorite wrapper designs, the HERESHEIS^® in pink and the HEREHEIS^® in blue, and created several extraordinary baby gifts.  At Carson Wrapped Hershey’s Chocolates, we are proud to announce the launch of our newest baby products.  Perfect for baby shower gifts, expecting or new parents, these items will quickly become best sellers.   

Clever and cute, everyone will love the adorable Baby Gift Tote.  A small organza bag containing 10 Assorted Miniatures wrapped in soft pink or pale blue proclaims the excitement of the latest arrival along with one delicious Milk Chocolate cigar.  Also, in the white cloth and chrome basket, you’ll find a soft cotton baby’s onesie, a cuddly Teddy Bear and keepsake baby rattle.

Send a chocolate filled bouquet to mark the memorable occasion.  Available in two sizes, our sweet baby bouquet starts with a vase built of standard 1.55oz Milk Chocolate bars.  Assorted Miniatures wrapped in soft pink or pale blue along with delicious Milk Chocolate cigars sprinkle the arrangement.  It’s a sweet and memorable baby gift to be enjoyed.

Recommendations for your Spring Events

Wow, March flew by and here we are again… I can’t believe spring is here!
I have so many parties and events to plan for this year with my brother’s graduation and my niece’s First Communion. I don’t recall ever being this busy.  Since I started working for Carson Wrapped Hershey's, my family and friends now expect me to coordinate all the party gifts.  But I don’t mind so much…it’s actually fun.

Of course I have my favorites in mind…

For my brother’s graduation, I’ve selected the gold and silver candy bars to put on the tables at his party.  He will be more interested in eating the chocolate while everyone else oohs and aahs over the fancy wrapper on the front.

For my niece’s first communion, I’m thinking about candy favors too but I think it would be cute to have her picture on it.  I was going to customize the back wrapper as an invitation to announce the time and place of the reception.

Don’t forget…Easter’s a hop, skip and a jump away.  My friend called me at work the other day to ask if we had any favors for Easter.  I had to laugh…of course we do!

Anyway, I told her to tune in to the Blog and I’d answer her question.  She’s an activities coordinator for a non-profit organization.  They are looking for Easter favors to hand out for their upcoming event.

Carol, here are my recommendations…
You can use one of our Easter candy bars to remind everyone about your event.

Here is an idea for a party gift under $4.00 to give away as door prizes with bright fun colors.

And finally, you asked about a larger gift for everyone to enjoy during the event. You could place these on a registration or beverage table.

You also asked if we can add your organization’s logo on the wrappers for a more personal touch…yes we can!

…I hope your event is a success! 

Stay tuned for more…

St. Patrick's Day Recommendations

You all know what’s coming up on March 17?  St. Patty’s Day!  Okay, so I’m Italian but aren’t we all Irish on St. Patty's Day?  Well, I could use some Irish luck.

If you are like me and love to throw themed parties, then check out these green party favors.  My guests will be green with envy this year.

So many choices….where do I start?

I could hand out custom chocolates decorated with shamrocks, Leprechauns and Celtic symbols for good luck & good fortune. Or lucky pots filled with chocolate gold coins, Hershey's® Miniatures® and sweet Irish Blessings, a golden organza bag filled with Minis® and lucky Irish clovers.

My bar of choice is the St. Patrick's Day candy bar to celebrate the good times.