There are ten new sayings introduced yearly to batches of Necco Sweethearts Conversation Hearts. Here's the 2006 list:

Sweet Home
Go Home
Home Soon
Home Sick
Call Home
House Party
Home Run
ILU
To
And

I've launched the 1st Annual Necco Sweethearts Conversation Hearts New Sayings Awards™ to honor this year's talent:

Biggest Waste of Two Slots In the "10 New Sweethearts Sayings For 2006" List: The conjunctions "And" & "To" are a first for Necco, and I'm all for it. Now candy and syntax lovers everywhere can exercise their "Magnetic Poetry" muscles with more clarity, making such phases as "Love To Love To Love You" or "Kiss Me And Go Home" finally possible. But they shouldn't count as two "new" sayings. First, they aren't sayings, they are linking words. Second, they probably bumped "<3" or "w00t" off the list, meaning I have to spend another year writing aggressively-worded letters and emails to Necco.

Most Ambiguous Political Statement: No less than seven of the ten new messages include "house" or "home." Patriotism or agit-prop? Do these crazy delicious candy hearts support or condemn the war in Iraq? Hearts like "Home Soon" can be read both ways, while "Go Home" could even be used by the insurgents against us. But it's all about point of view. Remember, hearts in and of themselves don't dictate foreign policy, people with sweet tooths dictate foreign policy.

Worst Appropriation of Youth Culture: "ILU." Hey kids, do you like the Intranets? LOL!!! Truncating "I Love You" to attempt to reach the IM & text-messaging revolution looks stupid when it's not actually being keyed in on a Sidekick or in chat rooms. Actually, it looks stupid in these cases too. The last thing we need right now is someone to give acronyms like "A/S/L" new hope.

Grodiest Pet Rock: "House Party." Because "Pajama Jammy Jam" was too long to fit? Why on earth a 1990 urban teen comedy starring the ubiquitous hip-hop duo Kid & Play should be the subject of a Necco heart sixteen years later is beyond me. Does anyone even throw house parties anymore? And did anyone ever actually call them house parties? All I can surmise is that Kid and/or Play wrote many, many more strongly-worded letters and emails to Necco than I did this year. There are two of them and only one of me, so that does follow logic. See? Things ARE better when you share! No, I'm not bitter. Still waiting for that next album to "drop," fellas.

Best (and Worst) Juvenile Chauvinistic Humor: "Home Run." See, first base is necking with a girl. And second base is when you — oh, never mind.

This article appeared in slightly modified form on Tiffany Leigh's blog, Soundtrack To The Motion Picture.
Edited: [GH]