A Hard Candy Christmas: Advent 2023 DAY 4

Today's candy goes by a couple of different names. But no matter how you eat it, these treats are big deals if I'm ever going to eat anything from Hickory Farms.

Until about 1990, there were permanent Hickory Farms locations in the Raleigh-Durham area of North Carolina. Until I was 12 or 13, if someone on my dad's side of the family had a birthday or other special occasion, we had Hickory Farms. With the beef sticks, cheeses, and mustards, after you had your fill of savory, you finished things up with a handful of these sweet treats. I'm talking about Meltaway Mints.

I'm not really sure if the mints were made of white chocolate. But they were these creamy, colorful little pieces of candy that packed a punch of mint. Originally, Meltaway Mints looked like an oversized Hershey's kiss. But instead of being colored for Christmas, these guys looked like they were more suited for Easter as they came in pastels of green, pink and yellow. Yet, I can't recall a single Christmas Eve party at my Grandmama's house where these guys weren't a part of her massive spread. On the underside of each mint were these white sprinkles that always reminded me of the Asthma medication I used to take as a kid. But unlike Theo-Dur, these sprinkles were sweet instead of nasty ol' bits of bitterness.

For a brief time Hickory Farms discontinued the Meltaway Mints. Fans got vocal and they've returned to shelves- for a ridiculous price of $27.99 for 3 30oz bags. So, if you're okay with generic Melty Mints, which still retain the kiss shape whereas the revival name brand now looks like buttons, you'll actually save some money without losing any of the nostalgic taste. Some might say accept no substitute. I say if it brings back memories of happy times, I'm willing to buy off-brand!

You'd probably like to see some old Hickory Farms commercials. But I really couldn't pass up this video about the history of the Hickory Farms box stores. While it ends on a sad note of all the stores going to seasonal only, it's got a lot of nostalgic images that remind me of those edible shops that brought me such joy 365 days a year!This won't be the last time we see goodies from Hickory Farms in this Advent. So don't worry, the commercials are coming soon. Until then, enjoy!