Candy Containers, Candy Dish Etiquette and Candy Salad

This post made possible with contributions from

Marianne M.,

Joanne B.,

Maura M. and Evie D.

Remember root beer barrels, red and white Starlight mints, yellow cellophane wrapped butterscotch, a hard candy with a fruit filled center strawberry?

There were toffees in a foil sleeve, Hershey kisses in shiny silver with a tiny paper label sticking out, coffee nibs and sour balls. Some M and Ms

I’ve been thinking about candy dishes, candy jars, candy bowls.

My neighbors Nell and Tom had a crystal candy dish in their living room. Was it on top of the wooden tv console or a coffee table?

A couple of friends have a candy dish collection so I enlisted their help with this candy dish post today.

I have one lidded candy dish but it’s in a cupboard, not on a coffee table filled with wrapped hard candies.

I asked

I asked my friend Marianne M what is candy dish etiquette? –

Does one help oneself or wait to be offered a piece? She replied –if it’s out in the open, it’s fair game! Help yourself! (Then what do you do with the wrapper after you stick the piece of candy in your mouth?)

Here’s what she wrote to me about her candy dishes –

Candy dishes… What can I say about candy dishes? My mom always had one in the living room filled with the popular candy of the times. When we went to Tata’s (great aunt) house, she always had candy dishes in every room even in the bedrooms. I do believe at one time, candy dishes were a popular wedding gift.

Why I have so many in 2025 I don’t know. However, I do switch the candy dishes at the seasons. I tend to fill them less often now because I’m too tempted to eat the sweets.” MM

My first candy dish purchase was the M&M jug that I bought at Pawley’s Island, South Carolina.
It was a favorite of my friend Ruth!
The heart shaped Lenox candy dish was a Christmas gift several years ago from a childhood friend.

The little Easter dish I purchased at Kmart before they closed. MM

Candy Cane Candy Dish MM
This lidded crystal dish was an anniversary gift to my parents – MM
Christmas Gift Package Candy Dish MM

My friend Joanne B in Florida writes

For many years I’ve collected small silver footed candy dishes.  Bought them at estate sales or thrift shops, and fully intended to gift them.  I thought they would make the perfect hostess, holiday or shower gift with the addition of a small box of Godiva chocolates or some other elegant treat.  But I only gave a few of them away because I love them too much.  They are now tucked amongst the decor in my house; some hold candles and some hold seaglass.  Now and then they hold candy.  I think I have eight of them but there are probably a few more around.” JB

And my granddaughter Maura (16) was at sleep away camp in early June this year

They had a Candy Salad.

I had to ask. What is a Candy Salad?

Her friend Evie D. took this photo of the Candy Salad at Camp.

All the campers dump a bag of candy into a big bowl

Some of today’s popular candies included are

Nerds gummy clusters, sour patch kids, watermelon, lifesaver gummy’s, gummi worms, gummy sharks, Haribo gummi bears, and airhead extremes” Maura

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Sounds like it should be toothbrushes and toothpaste for EVERYONE!

And I almost forgot my Lenox candy dish hand decorated with 24 Karat gold –
a wedding gift fifty-one years ago

Need candy? Want candy? There are even sugar- free root beer barrel options.

Vermont Country Store has many of the old fashioned candies for sale

The Nuts.com website states The strawberry “festive strawberry exterior, these crunchy candies are filled with sweet strawberry flavor and are the perfect way to indulge a sweet tooth. They make a fine addition to a red candy buffet and are sure to be a crowd-pleasing treat at any special celebration”and yellow wrapped butterscotch product details “Our butterscotch candy is a delight for anyone who has a sweet tooth. These classic hard candies are individually-wrapped for optimal freshness. They will bring back memories of seeing candies brimming from bins in your favorite candy store as a kid. Butterscotch candies are real crowd-pleasers!”are available at Nuts.com

(you can get organic dried fruit and nuts there, too but that’s another post 😂)

Here’s an article about candy consumption in USA. Do you know which state eats the most candy ?