There is a dubious, vaguely scientific claim that the happiest day of the year is June 20 … or the 21 … or maybe July 14, depending on which website you’re reading. That’s clearly not true, because the actual happiest day of the year is the one when the Girl Scouts of the USA (GSUSA) kick off their annual cookie season.
This year’s actual happiest day was Tuesday, January 9, because that’s the first day we can all place our orders for Do-Si-Dos, Thin Mints, and our other fave flavors. According to GSUSA, almost 700,000 scouts from kindergarten through 12th grade participate in the Girl Scout Cookie Program every year, which the organization says helps its members develop essential life skills like money management, goal setting, and business ethics. (BRB, signing up to join the Girl Scouts.) On top of that, each participant can earn cookie-related badges, including Cookie Business, Financial Literacy, and even Cookie Market Researcher.
“When people buy Girl Scout Cookies, they’re buying so much more than cookies,” GSUSA Chief Revenue Officer Wendy Lou said in a statement. “Every package of Girl Scout Cookies sold puts girls one step closer to making real change in their own futures, communities, and the world. Girls break expectations through the power of the cookie program and open a host of possibilities beyond the box.”
As far as this year’s cookie lineup goes, the GSUSA website lists a dozen different flavors: Adventurefuls, Caramel Chocolate Chip, Caramel deLites (also called Samoas in some markets), Do-Si-Dos (or Peanut Butter Sandwich cookies), Girl Scout S’mores, Lemonades, Lemon-Ups, Peanut Butter Patties (or Tagalongs), Thin Mints, Toast-Yay!, Toffee-tastic, and Trefoils.
If you’d like to buy a box (or a dozen boxes) of Girl Scout cookies, the easiest way is by asking your friends, neighbors, and coworkers whether any of their kids are in the program. If you strike out there — and if you don’t have a Girl Scout somewhere in your immediate family —you can use the online Girl Scout Cookie Finder to see where and when local troops will be setting up their cookie booths. In my own ZIP code, sales will start as early as this weekend and will continue every weekend in various locations through Sunday, March 3.
Starting on Friday, February 16, you’ll also be able to purchase cookies online for delivery to your home. You can also text COOKIES to 59618 to learn how and where to buy cookies.
Although there was a bit of grumbling last year when the cost of Girl Scout cookies increased, on average, by $1 per box, all of the proceeds from cookie sales stay with local councils and individual troops, and those funds can be used to cover the cost of troop experiences from service projects to summer camps.
Plus, just think about how much better that so-called “Happiest Day of the Year” will be if you have a few boxes of Adventurefuls in the cabinet.
