Keep Christ in Christmas: The Candy Cane Story

It's just a little Christmas treat,

but also, did you know?

It represents our Savior

born so long ago.

The shape is like a "J"

to symbolize His name.

The white is for His life,

Holy, without blame.

And the stripe of red

is for His blood

so pure and freely given

         that we might spend eternity

with our Lord in heaven

Mrs Mesnick Poetry

A significant symbol of Christmas 

Is the Simple Candy Cane. 

It's shape is the crook of the Shepherd 

One of the first who came. 

The lively peppermint flavor is 

The regal gift of spice. 

The White is Jesus' purity. 

The Red is sacrifice. 

The narrow stripes are friendship. 

And the nearness of his love. 

Eternal, Sweet Compassion 

A gift from God above. 

The Candy Cane reminds us all 

of how much God cared. 

And like His Christmas gift to use 

It's meant to be broken and shared.

Jesus Gentle Shepherd,

this cane of red and white

proclaims the sweet love story

born on Christmas night.

This cane, you see, when turned around

begins your name of Love

and now becomes a symbol

of peace proclaimed above.

The lively peppermint flavor

is the regal gift of spice

The white is your purity

 and the red your sacrifice.

And so this cane reminds us

 of just how much you care

and like your Christmas Gift

 to us it's meant for all to share.

My two-year old granddaughter, Gabriella, loves candy canes. This year she is big enough to sit with her aunts and her older, five-year sister. She is now big enough to listen to the Candy Cane Story. What can I say? She is old enough to listen and sit at the table, and does not eat them all, just a few... Victoria, who has Down Syndrome,  is twelve years old  now and she  doesn't like sweets at all, but she sits with them too because she likes to place the candy canes in a long line.

At the same time, we adorn some of them and use them to decorate the cookie plates that the girls will deliver to the neighbors. How my kitchen looks like after they bake is another story.

This is a great moment to share some candy cane poems, but the most important thing is the symbol of Jesus Christ, and the legend of the candy that is so easy to find in the supermarket. 

After we finish the story, every one needs to say something special about Jesus and how sweet His Name is. Some Jewish traditions are when the child is about to start his education in the Torah, a taste of honey was given to the student so that he would associate the study of the holy books with sweetness. “How sweet are thy words unto my taste! yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth!” (Psalm 119:103).

We ate the candies knowing that it is more than only a candy but a powerful instrument that helps us witness Jesus.

The  legend said that a candy maker in Indiana designed the candy cane to tell the true story of Christmas - a story about a virgin giving birth to a shepherd who would give up His life for our Eternal life.

*The most visible representation utilized in the candy cane is its shape.          

In one way, it looks like a "J" for Jesus, meaning Savior, because He was meant to "save His people from their sins" (Matthew 1:21). Turned the other way, the candy cane reminds us of the shepherd's staff. The first people to hear of Christ's birth were shepherds guarding their flocks at night (Luke 2:8-20). Jesus called Himself the Good Shepherd,  the One who is  searching for his lost sheep, feeding them, gently leading them, (Psalm 23; John 10:1-18; Isaiah 40:11; Jeremiah 31:10; Micah 5:4; Hebrew 13:20).

* The sweetness of the candy reminds us that we are fed on the sweet milk of the Gospel of our salvation and peace (Ephesians  1:13; 6:15).

*The hardness of the candy reminds us that Jesus is our rock of refuge (Deuteronomy 32:4, 15, 18; 1 Samuel 2:2; 2 Samuel 22:32, 47; 23:3; Psalm 18:2, 31; 28:1; 92:15; 94:22; 95:1; Isaiah 44:8). Rocks not only reminds us of the solidness of the promises of Christ who is a precious cornerstone and sure foundation to those who follow Him, but of a "stone of stumbling and a rock of offense" to those who reject His gift of peace (1 Peter 2:6-8).

* The whiteness of the candy represents the sinless life of Christ (Matthew 1:23; Luke 1:34-35). We are also made as pure as the snow through the cleansing action of His blood (Revelation 7:9, 14; Isaiah 1:18).

*The traditional candy cane has three small red stripes to remind us of the soldiers' stripes by which we are healed and a larger stripe which represents the blood shed by Christ on Calvary's tree (Isaiah  53:5; Matthew t 27:32-50).

* Some people say that the three small stripes honor the Holy Trinity while the larger stripe reminds us of the one true God.

*The peppermint flavor is similar to hyssop. In Old Testament times, hyssop was associated with purification and sacrifice. During the first Passover celebrations, bundles of hyssop were also used to sprinkle blood on. Peppermint reminds us that Jesus is our Passover Lamb (1 Corinthians5:7). His blood cleanses us from sin and destroys the power of death (Hosea 13:14; 1 Corinthians  15:54-57; Hebrew  2:14-15; Revelation  20:6).

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Maria P