History of the Candy Cane

One of my favorite sweet treats of this time of year, are candy canes. The way that the sweet, sticky, peppermint taste just floods your whole mouth when you nibble on the cane just makes me feel like I'm on Cloud Nine. However, the real thing that the candy cane represents has been lost, and now is only recognized as a Christmas decoration. I am here to help prevent that.

A candy maker in Indiana wanted to make a candy that would be a witness, so he made the Christmas Candy Cane. He incorporated several symbols for the birth, ministry, and death of Jesus Christ.

He began with a stick of pure white, hard candy. White to symbolize the Virgin Birth and the sinless nature of Jesus, and hard to symbolize the Solid Rock, the foundation of the church, and firmness of the promises of God.

The candymaker made the candy in the form of a “J” to represent the precious name of Jesus, who came to earth as our savior. It also represents the staff of the “Good Shepherd” with which He reaches down into the ditches of the world to lift out the fallen lambs who, like all sheep, have gone astray.

Thinking that the candy was somewhat plain, the candymaker stained it with red stripes. He used the tree small stripes to show the stripes of the scourging Jesus received by which we are healed. The large red stripe was for the blood shed by Jesus on the Cross so that we could have the promise of eternal life, if only we put our faith and trust in Him.

Unfortunately, the candy became known as a Candy Cane - a meaningless decoration seen at Christmas time. But the meaning is still there for those who “have eyes to see and ears to hear”.

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Hopefully, next time you delight in a candy cane, it will taste a bit sweeter knowing that everything about it represents and points back to our Savior. The real reason we celebrate this time of year. :)

~Peace, love, toe socks~