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With all of the focus on COVID-19, curfews and stay-at-home orders, we’ve almost forgotten what time of year it is.

You got it, it’s Easter, and not only will we be celebrating the resurrection of Christ (if you’re Christian) first and foremost, but it’s also Easter candy season.

This year, our friends at candystore.com have compiled statistics from candy sales across the country to determine favorites and least favorites.

To be honest, just reading the information made me crave items such as marshmallow Peeps, Reese’s Peanut Butter Eggs, black licorice jellybeans and much more.

With families celebrating Easter in their homes this year, I’m sure you’re curious as to what the folks say about the selection of candies statewide and nationally.

I’ll admit that I was a little shocked to see that Alabamians prefer juicy pear jellybeans to any other. For those of you wondering, watermelon was second and my personal favorite, black licorice finished third. By comparison, our neighbors in Georgia like buttered popcorn, red apple and juicy pear in that order. Floridians also rank juicy pear as No. 1, watermelon as No. 2 and coming in third in the Sunshine State is that nation’s favorite, according to the study, cinnamon.

For cinnamon, it’s the first year at the top. Buttered popcorn, last year’s favorite comes in at No. 2. In third is black licorice. Rounding out the Top 10 are:

4. Cherry

5. Juicy Pear

6. Toasted Marshmallow

7. Watermelon

8. Strawberry

9. Orange

10. Root Beer

Other popular flavors named in the study include cotton candy, green apple, sour, coconut, blueberry, coffee, bubblegum, grape, chocolate, red apple and banana.

The folks at candystore.com have also surveyed thousands of consumers nationwide to determine the best and worst Easter candies.

The Top 10 Best Easter Candies, according to the survey include:

10. Skittles-filled Easter eggs (down from No. 9 last year).

9. Sour Patch bunnies (up from No. 10 last year).

8. Foil-wrapped chocolate eggs – which were also No. 8 last year.

7. Robins Eggs from Whoppers (down from No. 5 last year).

6. Lindt chocolate carrots (down from No. 4 last year).

5. Jellybeans (up from No. 7 last year).

4. Kinder Joy Eggs candy (up from No. 6 last year).

3. Chocolate hollow bunnies (down from No. 2 last year).

2. Reese’s Peanut Butter Eggs (up from No. 3 last year

1. Cadbury Mini Eggs, which for the record, won last year.

What’s funny is that Cadbury Crème Eggs ranked as the “Worst Easter Candy,” according to survey respondents with Marshmallow Peeps – personal favorite of mine coming in second.

Easter candy sales yield more than $2.63 billon each year and equal or top Halloween candy sales each year. To put things in perspective, Americans spend about $1.76 billion on candy at Christmas and $1.07 billion on Valentine’s Day.

Oh, I know you’re curious about the other “Worst” candies. Completing the Top 10 worst on the survey are:

3. Chocolate bunnies  (solid)

4. Bunny Corn/Easter candy corn

5. Chicks and rabbits marshmallow candy

6. Chocolate crosses

7. Twix Eggs

8. Peeps Hot Tamales

9. Generic jellybeans

10. Fluffy Stuff Cotton Candy Tails.

Whatever your favorites or least favorites, I hope you and your family enjoy some Easter candy this year and have a blessed Easter.