The true origin of candy canes is hazy, mixing recorded history with a good amount of legend. Hard candy has existed for thousands of years. The expense of sugar made it a rare treat, shared on special occasions and holidays or as a reward for children’s good behavior.
Church records show that in 1670, a choirmaster at Cologne Cathedral in Germany handed out white candy sticks to keep restless children quiet during Christmas services. The sweets took a long time to finish and kept little hands and mouths busy while they weren’t singing. Worried it might seem improper to give candy in church, he added the symbolic crook to recall the shepherds of the Nativity.
The body of Christ
The blood of Christ
And just for the kids, the shaft of Christ
I guess the priests were busy
Making the kids’ mouths sticky, one way or another
Pretty much all candy was designed to shut kids up.
You can’t really talk and chew caramel.
The amount of candy cane myth that is believed wholesale and unquestioningly by modern American churches is amazing.
