What do you think of when you think of Christmas Eve? Well, I think of trees with lights, stockings above the fireplace (and when I was a kid, I hoped that there would no coal therein the morning!), nativity sets, and sitting around the tree opening presents. Of course, what is Christmas without candy canes?
Some candy stores sell candy sticks in all kinds of flavors like root beer, lemon, grape, and apple. But there is something special about candy canes. They are different from other candy sticks. When we think of candy canes, we don’t think of them as being brown, yellow, purple or green, do we? No, candy canes come in red and white.
But candy canes haven’t always been that way. Years and years ago, before pacifiers were invented, moms used to give unflavored white candy sticks to their babies to suck on. One Christmas hundreds of years ago, a choir director gave out candy sticks bent to look like shepherd staffs to children attending the Midnight Mass. I don’t think Cleveland has any plain candy sticks to hand out to us, do you, Cleveland?
About a hundred years ago, I read that a candy maker created the candy cane. This candy maker decided to use the candy cane to tell the story of Christmas; so for starters, he took a plain white stick to remind us that Jesus never did anything wrong. Unlike you and me, Jesus never sinned. And when he forgives us for our sins, Jesus makes us pure as white snow.
The candy maker thought a white stick would be too plain. It needed color. Of all the many colors he could have used, he decided to use red stripes. Now, why do you suppose he added red stripes and not blue stripes or purple stripes or brown stripes? Maybe red was his favorite color.
The candy maker decided to use red to because he wanted us to remember that Jesus died on the cross for us. The small red stripes are there to remind us of the soldiers’ stripes when they whipped Jesus. Instead of just a white stick, he now had a stick with red stripes. Something wasn’t right because a red and white stick looks like the pole you find in front of any barber shop.
Ah! I know what to do! He bent the stick to look like the letter J, for Jesus. If you turn the J upside down, then it looked like a staff, which shepherds used for watching their sheep. Jesus often called himself the good shepherd, so imagine him watching you every time you eat a candy cane! Also, if you were listening to Deacon Bob, did you notice that shepherds were the first people to visit the baby Jesus?
So, now the candy maker had a candy stick with red stripes, bent to look like the letter J, but the stick had no flavor. What flavor should he give it? Some red candies taste like cherry; others taste like chili peppers. Would you eat a candy cane that tasted like that? I wouldn’t nor would the candy maker.
He decided to make the candy stick taste like peppermint to remind us of the gift of spices that the wise men gave to Jesus so long ago, so the next time you eat a candy cane, think about the special gift of Jesus that God is giving to you tonight.
Now, speaking of presents, I imagine you will get many presents tonight or tomorrow. Do you remember what you got for Christmas last year? Do you still have it? I still have the present that I got for Christmas when I was in third grade, my train set!
Sometimes we lose certain gifts or we outgrow them or we break them, but the gift of Jesus is a gift we can have forever if we want it. Jesus isn’t a present to be put away when Christmas is over. He is a gift for us to share with others everyday. We do that when we pray, when we thank God for all the other gifts we have received, when we love other people, or when we share the things we have with others. Any time we do that, we love others just as Jesus loves us. Unlike any other gift we can find under the Christmas tree, Jesus is the gift that reminds us to never be afraid, for even on the darkest night of the year, God is with us.
Some people say that the story isn’t true. Maybe it isn’t, but the lesson itself is quite true. The candy cane is a good reminder of all that Jesus did for you and me. He grew up to show us how much we are loved. He invites us to do the same, be people of love. May every candy cane you enjoy remind you to love your family and friends as much as Jesus loves you!