Page 11 - Demo

WHAT CLUES ARE IN THE CANDY CANE?We%u2019ve all heard of an Easter egg hunt, but a candy cane hunt has become one of my favorite holiday traditions. We sprinkle candy canes all over our back lawn, and at dusk we invite the neighborhood kids to come over with f lashlights to try to find as many candy canes as they can. We give a prize to the child who finds the most. Afterward, when the kids have settled down and are enjoying their treats, we talk about what religious significance we can find in the candy.According to one legend, around 1670 a choirmaster at the Cologne Cathedral in Germany bent one end of a peppermint candy stick into a curve to represent a shepherd%u2019s hook. And then when he turned the candy %u201chook%u201d upside down, he explained that it became a J for Jesus. It is said that the choirmaster used the candy to hold the children%u2019s attention as they learned about the birth of Jesus. During the nineteenth century, Christmas cards featured all-white candy canes. We can find meaning in the colors of today%u2019s typical candy canes: the white symbolizes the purity of Jesus, while the red represents the blood Jesus shed on the cross. Sometimes, a green stripe is added, which can signify that Jesus is an everlasting gift from God. The candy cane is much more than just a peppermint treat%u2014it reminds us of the gift of Jesus.9