For many of us, the holiday season is about spending time with family and friends. It's also a time you might indulge in your sweet tooth. In this edition of Your Hometown, Alexa Green shares how a shop in East Syracuse has been continuing the art of candy making for more than 100 years.

EAST SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- In the weeks before Christmas, you'll find Terry Andrianos packing boxes of candy to ship across the country. Downstairs, her husband Steve is busy dipping candy.

"Everything is quality. I grew up with my parents and they always stressed quality. If it's not good quality, don't sell it," said Hercules Candy owner Steve Andrianos.

And to this day, that's how Hercules Candy operates. The shop was first opened in 1910 by Steve's grandfather and brothers on West Manlius Street. Eventually, it was moved it to West Heman Street.

"During the depression though they moved it back here, because it was difficult to get a hold of sugar and butter since things were available in limited supply. So they moved it back here and continued to sell it out of the basement," said Hercules Candy partner Terry Andrianos. 

The shop briefly closed in the early 70s. But in 1977, Steve quit his job, gathered up $500 and decided to reopen the family business.

"If he hadn't have taken that leap of faith, and that was quite a leap of faith, this wouldn't be here," Terry said.  

These days, Hercules candy is still all made by hand in the basement from the original family recipes. You can find an array of chocolates, candy canes, ribbon candy. They're also experimenting with new ideas. 

"One of the things that's picking up is chocolate covered gummy bears. Someone suggested it and we had them and having social media, we can put things out there, what do you think? And people come here and try it," said employee Brad Salmonsen.

With a few days left before Christmas, Andrianos says all hands will be on deck, dipping and packaging candy and shipping out orders.

"For us in particular, it's crazy. It's off the hook. We ship out a lot of candy to corporations, local companies, no big fortune 500's companies are calling us. But local people that come back to us year after year," Adrianos said.

Now once Christmas has passed, the staff here at Hercules candy gets right back to work. The next big holiday, Valentines Day, is right around the corner.

Hercules Candy is open Christmas week 10 a.m. until 8 p.m. and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Christmas Eve.