The Christmas season is hear and with it comes traditions that have been created over the years. One of those traditions is that of decorating with candy canes.

National Candy Cane Day is celebrated on December 26. It gives candy lovers a day to celebrate this festive white and red striped delight. They are used as decorations on the Christmas tree, printed on wrapping paper, or added to delicious treats like brownies, cupcakes, cookies, scones, tea, hot cocoa and more.

Historically, the candy has been red and white. The first candy canes were created in 1670 by a choirmaster in Germany as a gift to the children who attended a nativity pageant, according to Candy Cane History. The choirmaster decided to bend the candy sticks to resemble the shape of a shepherd’s crook. The stripes represented the purity of Jesus Christ and the blood He shed on the cross. The peppermint flavor has been said to be symbolic of the hyssop that was used to offer Jesus something to drink. (Candy Cane Symbols).

The first machine to create the candy canes was invented in 1921 by Brasher O. Westerfield, and more recently there have been different flavors added to the selections, many from familiar brands like Jolly Rancher, Swedish Fish and Oreo. With this comes a lot of weird flavored candy canes, like Rotisserie Chicken, Coal, and Gravy.

Are you a traditionalist or are you willing to try some of the new flavors to celebrate this day?