It seems like everywhere we go we see Candy Canes.

Our neighbors have large plastic ones lining their porch.  When we go to the bank, they offer them to my children.



We even have them in our Advent Calendar to help us count down the days to December 25th.

You might think they would get tired of them and wish for something a little more exciting than a red and white curvy stick!

However, my 3 year old little boy LOVES THEM!!!  And for the time being he calls them "candy cans" instead of candy canes.  It's just adorable!

The other day he shouted with absolute glee, "Yeah, candy cans!" - and in that moment I thought, "wouldn't it be cool if I could find the energy to say "I can" all from a piece of candy!"

You know, things like this:

Wouldn't that be fantastic if we could find the will, the energy, and the strength to say & do these "can-do" things all from a small piece of candy?!

The more I thought about this - "candy cans" - the more I thought about the history behind the real Candy Cane.

I couldn't have said it better... I found this description of the candy cane here.

Many people have given religious meaning to the shape and form of the candy cane. It is said that its shape is like the letter “J” in Jesus’ name. It is also in the shape of the shepherds’ crook, symbolic of how Jesus, like the “Good Shepherd” watches over his children like little lambs. It is a hard candy, solid like a “rock”, the foundation of the Church. The flavor of peppermint is similar to another member of the mint family, hyssop. In the Old Testament hyssop was used for purification and sacrifice, and this is said to symbolize the purity of Jesus and the sacrifice he made.

Some say the white of the candy cane represents the purity of Jesus and his virgin birth. The bold red stripe represents God’s love. The three fine stripes are said by some to represent the Holy Trinity: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Others say they represent the blood spilled at the beating Jesus received at the hands of the Roman soldiers.

I've known the history of the candy cane for quite some time and have always thought it was a neat part of Christmas.  But when I was wishing I had a piece of candy that could give me the strength to say, "I can" instead of "I'm not strong enough and therefore I can't" - I realized I do have something that can give me strength - that can help me say "I can" instead of "I can't" - and that something... is Jesus!


I know you will see and probably enjoy many candy canes this CHRISTmas season.  The next time you see one - actually remember what it symbolizes and let it strengthen you so you too can say "I can!"