Massachusetts’ Most Popular Christmas Candy Is Not Festive At All

Christmas candy by jpellgen on Flickr/Creative Commons

It’s weeks before Christmas and all through the land, shelves are stocked and candy’s in demand. But for Bostonians nestled all snug in their beds, it’s not visions of sugar plums that dance in their heads.

What, you may ask, is their candy of choice? It’s those red packs of Skittles, they decidedly voice!

…Wait, Skittles? As Bay Staters are bundled up, dredging through snow, and enduring winds that all but literally bite your skin, we choose to taste the rainbow? In a survey of over 50,000 customers, CandyStore.com determined the most popular Christmas candy in each state, and Skittles—not candy canes, peppermint bark, or even chocolate—took the number one spot for Mass.

Skittles, of course, aren’t festive at all. (Side note: What is wrong with us?) Perhaps by choosing one of the most colorful candies on the market, we’re subconsciously boycotting the insufferably dark weather that comes along with this festive time of year. Or maybe Skittles make the perfect shingles for our gingerbread houses. The logic isn’t really there, but we’re not alone in our madness—New York, Florida, and Montana also chose Skittles as their top treat.

While first place perhaps testifies to a lack of emotional commitment to the holidays, at least our runner-ups are somewhat seasonally appropriate. For second place, Massachusetts consumers chose Hershey Kisses, followed by the quintessential candy cane in third. Now these sweets are appropriate for making ornaments, decorating cookies, or just cozying up with hot cocoa and a treat (seriously, who ever heard of hot cocoa and Skittles?).

The rest of the country seems to be mostly on board with holiday-themed sweets—candy corn’s weird Christmas cousin, reindeer corn, was voted first place by Alabama, Utah, and Michigan. However, despite the fact that almost two billion candy canes are produced annually for the Christmas season, only seven states chose it as their top holiday fave.

Whatever the guilty pleasure, it’s estimated that American consumers will spend $1.93 billion on Christmas sweets this year. Check out the infographic below to see where each state will be putting their wallet this holiday season.

Source: CandyStore.com