Legend has it that in 18th Century Europe, any public display of Christianity was forbidden. No crosses or Bibles were allowed and Christians were greatly oppressed.
One old man, a candy maker by profession, was particularly distressed by this. He loved the Lord with all of his heart and couldn't stand to not share that love with the world. His heart especially went out to the children when Christmas drew near. He prayed to God to show him some way to make Christmas gifts for the children which would teach them the story of Christ.
So came the candy cane.

The candy cane is in the shape of a
shepherd's staff to show us Jesus is our Shepherd and we are His flock. A sheep follows his own shepherd, knows his voice and trusts him. It knows that it is totally safe with him. The sheep will follow no other shepherd but their own.

Upside down the candy cane was a "J", for Jesus. It was made of hard candy to remind us that Christ is the rock of our salvation. The wide red stripes on the candy cane represent the blood He shed on the cross for each one of us so that we can have eternal life through Him.
The white stripes on a candy cane represented the virgin birth, sinless life and purity of our Lord. Even though He was tempted just as we are, He never sinned.
The three narrow red stripes on candy canes symbolized that by His stripes, we are healed; and the Trinity - the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Before the crucifixion Jesus was beaten; the crown of thorns was placed on His head; His back was raw from the whip. We are healed by those wounds. He bore our sorrows through his pain.
The flavoring in the candy cane was peppermint, which is similar to hyssop. Hyssop is of the mint family and was used in Old Testament times for purification and sacrifice just as Jesus sacrificed His life for ours.
The old candy maker told them that when we break our candy cane it reminds us that Jesus' body was broken for us. If we share our candy cane and give some to someone else we love, it represents that same love of God has for us. He loved us so much He wants us to spend eternal life with Him...

Labels: Christmas, God