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Candy Canes
 | Candy canes are one of the most popular symbols of Christmas. Since they are so much fun to eat and use for decorations, it's easy to forget they are shaped like a crook to represent the shepherds who were the first to worship the newborn Christ.
In the 1600's, candy canes were straight, white sticks of candy used to decorate Christmas trees. In 1670, the choirmaster at the Cologne Cathedral had the sticks bent into the shape of a shepherd’s crook to give out to children attending the living creche pagent. This became a popular tradition that spread across Europe. |
Candy canes made their way to America by the 1800’s, but they were still solid white. They are shown this way on Christmas cards made before 1900, so it wasn't until the early 20th century that they were made with red stripes.
People give various religious explanations for the modern form and color. Most say the body of the cane is white to represent the life that is pure. The broad red stripe is symbolic of the Lord’s love. And the three fine stripes represent the Holy Trinity. Mainly the candy cane is a reminder of the meaning of the holiday and a symbol of the humble roots of Christianity.
In the 1920s, Bob McCormack began making candy canes as special Christmas treats for his children and friends in Albany, Georgia. But, it was a long process to pull, twist, cut and bend each candy cane by hand.
In the 1950s, his brother-in-law, a Catholic priest, invented a machine to automate candy cane production. Packaging innovations by the younger McCormacks made it possible to transport the canes on a large scale that turned Bobs Candies, Inc. into the largest producer of candy canes in the world.
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