The Secret Christmas Candy

Did you know that you can use a simple piece of candy to tell people about the love of God? Its true! This treat can carry a secret message to kids and adults everywhere about the real meaning of Christmas. Can you guess what it is? Heres a hint: its red and white and tastes like peppermint. Youre rightits a candy cane! Find out how you can use this sweet treat to tell others about Gods love to us in Jesus this holiday season!

just for kids

Candy Cane Gift Bags

Did You Know?

We dont know exactly when candy canes were invented or who came up with the idea for them. We do know that in 1670, a large church in Germany called the Cologne Cathedral held special Christmas services to honor Jesus birth. During those special services, children were given white sugar sticks to enjoy. One day the choir director of the cathedral asked if the people who made the sugar sticks could bend them in the shape of a shepherds staff to celebrate the Christmas season. These candies became so popular that they were given to children every year during holiday services throughout Europe. People even hung them on their Christmas trees for decoration. Known today as candy canes, these sweet sticks became popular in North America around the 1800s. At that time, most candy canes were still plain white. But by the 1900s, people started adding small red stripes to the candy canes. No one knows exactly who started making candy canes with stripes, but some people say a candy maker added the stripes to send a secret message to others about Jesus. Lets decode that message!

Candy canes are m ade by heating su gar, water, corn syrup, cream of tartar, an d peppermint flavo ring at temperatu re s as high as 265 degr ees Fahrenheit (1 30 Celsius). Once the candy cools a little , it gets pulled, twisted , and bent to form th e shape of a shephe rds staff. The cand y then cools complet ely and becomes ve ry hard. The next tim e you bite into a ca nd y cane, think about how Gods love fo r yo u is even more rock -solid!

Sweet but Hard

Try making special gift bags to give away to friends and neighbors to spread the news about candy canes and Jesus.

What youll need:

White or brown paper bags Construction paper Markers Glitter, stickers, etc. Glue Christmas wrapping paper (optional) Candy canes Other Christmas candies or treats

Illustration by Scott Holladay

Design Your Own Candy

If you were a candy maker, how would you design your candy cane to remind people about Gods love to us in Jesus? Use markers or colored pencils to create your own secret messages. Then share your design with family members or friends and ask them to guess what your secret messages are!

What to do:
1. Decorate your paper bag with markers and construction paper, or cut out holiday pictures from Christmas wrapping paper to glue to your bag. 2. Fill the bag with candy canes, Christmas cookies, and other holiday goodies. 3. Make a Christmas card and write down the hidden messages about Jesus in candy canes. Put the card in the bag and staple or tape the bag shut. 4. Give the bag to a friend, neighbor, classmate, or anyone you want to tell about Jesus and wish that person a very Merry CHRISTmas!

can rem The candy canes shape Shepherds have some rd. is our Good Shephe ssy gra to to guide sheep times used hooked staffs them from wandering ep pastures to eat or to ke t ndy canes remind us tha away from the flock. Ca e trust Jesus to lead and tak we, as Gods sheep, can out 10:11 to learn more ab care of us. (Read John herd!) how Jesus is your Shep ne upside down, it looks ca y nd If you turn a ca er reminder of Jesus! like the letter Janoth

ook The Shepherds H ind us that Jesus

Christin Baker is a full-time stayat-home mom who also writes for Faith Alive. She is a member of Resurrection Fellowship Church in Grand Rapids, Mich.

nes ha tripes candy ca . The three small s he l a n io it d er, God t red stripe M o s t t ra one large ity: God the Fath tripe has d n a s e ip str Trin red s he large olize the T b . ll the it m y ir s p S n ca gether, a en o e Holy T . th e d v o lo G Son, and s shed wh ent Gods to repres ze the blood Jesu id a s n e li orld. be bo s of the w s can sym in e s ip e tr e candy th s r d re cross fo rtion of th ause o e p th e n it o h ty. Bec se the w he died ristians u holiness and puri ow b e Many Ch s we c a n n ws! , ent Jesu n s io re t p c e re e r cane to t great n n d re s u r sins. Wha death a r s u u o s f e J o f n o ive and forg cleansed

pes i r t S e t i h small red ve t h r e e ed and W

30 THE BANNER | December 2011 | www.thebanner.org

www.thebanner.org | December 2011 | THE BANNER 31