Here’s a poem I wrote and some information about the candy cane:
CANDY CANE
Stuffed
in my green felt stocking
I find
a striped stick of sweetness,
red as Rudolph’s nose,
white as Santa’s beard.
I crinkle open my peppermint present…
let my tongue celebrate
the wintry taste of Christmas.
Candy canes have been around for more than 300 years. According to legend, the choirmaster of the Cologne Cathedral in Germany is said to have given out sticks of candy to his young singers who became restless during the long Nativity ceremony. The sticks, which he had bent into the shape of shepherds’ crooks, were distributed with the hope of keeping the young singers quiet. Candy canes came only in white for more than 200 years. Around the turn of the 20th century, candy canes with red stripes and peppermint flavoring appeared.