Nostalgia in a Bag: Old-Fashioned Candy and Simple Sweet Memories

I’ve always loved candy and Chocolate Candy was my favorite but I also enjoy hard candy like Brach’s from my childhood. My favorite back then was butterscotch candy, or lemon drops which was also my dad’s favorite too. I remember those little moments so clearly — the sound of a wrapper being unrolled, and the way we’d sit and enjoy something simple without thinking much of it, just sharing something sweet together.

As I got older, my taste shifted a bit. I started enjoying Werther’s Originals, and for a long time those were the ones I reached for most. But I also never stopped loving cinnamon candy, especially those old red hot cinnamon pieces that had that strong, spicy kick to them. That heat always felt comforting in a strange way — like it woke you up and warmed you at the same time.

This week Tiffany was visiting Granny Sherry and she handed me a piece of Claey’s Candies Old Fashioned Hard Candies Cinnamon. I immediately thought this candy might taste like those classic red hot cinnamon candies I used to love.

It wasn’t quite the same. The cinnamon flavor wasn’t as strong or as fiery as I expected, but it was still good in its own way — more gentle, more old-fashioned, more like a slow reminder of something familiar rather than a bold burst of heat. It’s the kind of candy you don’t rush through. You just let it sit and bring back little thoughts as it goes.

We were all together during that moment — family in the middle of a normal day, just visiting and stopping long enough to share something small. Those are the kinds of moments that don’t always feel big at the time, but they stay with you later.

And I’ll be honest, part of what came up for me while tasting Claey’s Candies Old Fashioned Hard Candies Cinnamon was wishing my dad were here to try it too. He would’ve had something to say about it, I’m sure. Probably comparing it to the candies he liked or telling a story I’ve heard before but would still want to hear again.

It’s funny how something as simple as hard candy can pull all of that forward at once — childhood memories, family moments, and the people you wish were still sitting right there with you. Even though it didn’t taste exactly like I expected, I know I’ll try it again.

Not because it was perfect, but because it carried something familiar with it — something tied to memory, family, and the kind of sweetness that goes beyond flavor. Sometimes that’s all a piece of candy really needs to do. That is what I can’t wait to try other varieties.

Do you like Hard Candy? What is your favorite hard candy and why?

Thank you,

Glenda, Charlie and David Cates