There is a song called Hard Candy Christmas. I am not sure how many artists recorded this song, but the version that I have was recorded by Dolly Parton. It brings back wonderful memories for me.

Grandma received a gift of some hard candy called Plantation Dainties. Some of them had filling while others were plain. I preferred the type that was plain. I remember there were some fish that had a stripe giving it a different flavor.

We had them every Christmas after that. We also had ribbon candy. Grandma liked the hard candy because the chocolates did not always agree with her system. I grew fond of the ribbon candy. I brought that tradition to my family through marriage. Once Dick had some, he really liked it so every year we bought some. Some years I received it as part of my stocking gift.

When Don and I were married I did not even think of ribbon candy. That first Christmas Todd and Lori sent for some ribbon candy for us. Don could hardly wait for me to open the box to see what was in it. When he was thrilled when he saw the ribbon candy.

We opened one box right away. We made a pretty big dent in it. He liked the spicy flavors the best – I think because he could taste the spice and could not always taste the fruit flavors. We called Todd to thank him. That was one Christmas the we did not have the whole family up here on Christmas Eve.

Then, there were the candy canes. I always bought a big box of them so I could put one on each of my student’s gifts. What I had left over I put on our tree. The grandchildren and the cousins liked taking a cane off the tree when they came.

We always had peppermint stick ice cream on Christmas Eve. Last year I could not find any so I decided to make my own. I chopped up some peppermint candy and mixed it in with the ice cream. It was delicious. I will be doing that from now on because it was so successful.

The candy cane is a Christian symbol. The legend goes like this. In 1670 a choirmaster at Germany’s Cologne Cathedral knew that the children would grow restless during the long service. He came up with a brilliant plan. He found a local confectioner from which he purchased a large quantity of white sweet sticks. BY now the sticks were no longer straight. He asked the man if he could make a crook at the top of each one. The candy would be a treat but it was also a teaching tool.

The choirmaster based his lesson on the premise that the pure white stick represented the sinless life of Christ. The crook in the top was to remind the children of the shepherds who came to visit baby Jesus. The result was that the children were so busy enjoying their sweet treat that they were quiet all through the Christmas service. Thus began the association of the candy cane with Christmas. Within one hundred years white candy canes were placed on Christmas trees.

Europeans brought the candy cane with them to the U. S. It was not until the 1920s that the candy cane got its current look. Bob McCormick found a way to twist the red stripes into the confection and the treat remains that way today.

I end here, but I note that not all candy canes are peppermint anymore. Many other flavors have been added. Check out the candy aisle to see what flavors there are.

Merry Christmas to my readers. By next week all the presents will have been opened and the mess cleared away. Christmas dinner will just be leftovers! That candy will hang around for a while. I have ribbon candy to enjoy once again as well as some other treats.

Ann Swanson writes from her home in Russell. Contact her at hickoryheights1@verizon.net.