A candymaker
in Indiana wanted to make a candy that would remind people of the
true meaning of Christmas; so he made the candy cane to incorporate
several symbols for the birth, ministry, and death of Jesus Christ.
He began with a stick of pure white, hard candy. White to symbolize
the Virgin Birth and the sinless nature of Jesus, and hard to symbolize
the Solid Rock, the foundation of the Church, and the firmness of
the promises of God.
The candymaker
then shaped his cane into the form of a "J" to represent the precious
name of Jesus, who came to the earth as Savior. It could also represent
the staff of the "Good Shepherd" with which He reaches down to to
reclaim the fallen lambs who, like sheep, have gone astray.
Thinking
that the candy was somewhat plain, the candymaker stained it with
red stripes. He used three small stripes to show the stripes of the
scourging Jesus received. The large red stripe was for the blood shed
by Christ on the cross so that we could have the promise of eternal
life.