Moreholidays December Candy Cane Day

                           

National Candy Cane Day

Candy Cane Day

When is National Candy Cane Day? This holiday is always observed on December 26

Today is National Candy Cane Day, a December 26 holiday. It’s the day after Christmas. Millions of people are on the move, returning Christmas gifts at stores and nowadays by mail. People are also rushing to grab Christmas sales on just about everything, including holiday closeouts. Yes, it is truly a hectic day for many. Somehow, you need to take a deep breath and enjoy National Candy Cane Day. Candy canes are a big symbol of the Christmas season. They show up almost everywhere, as indoor and outdoor decorations, alongside ribbons and bows on Christmas gifts, on the Christmas tree, in stockings, and just about anywhere your imagination can envision them to be. Become the subject matter expert with our candy cane trivia.

One may wonder why make the 26th of December National Candy Cane Day!? But, celebrating this holiday today makes perfect sense. On the days and weeks leading up to the holidays, we are gleefully decorating with them and giving them out to nearly everyone we meet. With Christmas over, there is just one thing left to do with all of those candy canes…. consume them! The goal of today is to enjoy some of the many millions of candy canes given out during the Christmas season. You can simply take the wrapper off a candy cane and suck on it until it’s gone. You can slip a candy cane into your hot chocolate. Or, you can put candy canes in any of dozens of recipes and enjoy them in this manner.     

So, after you’ve taken care of all of your holiday returns and bought all of the closeout items your budget will allow, enjoy candy canes any way you prefer!

Candy Cane History

Candy canes are a hard candy confection. The vast majority of candy canes are made with peppermint. But, look around and you will find other flavors, too. The original candy canes were a straight sticks, created by a French priest. In 1674 a choirmaster in Germany bent one end of a candy cane, making it look like a shepherd’s pole. This is the traditional candy cane shape we recognize so readily today. In the 1800s, candy canes migrated to America, and became immediately popular. In the late 1800s, they were first hung on trees as a decoration. They decorate our Christmas trees to this day. They are popular around the world. 

Candy Cane Trivia

Use this candy cane trivia to amaze your friends. 

  • The original candy canes were white and did not have a bend.
  • Turn a candy cane upside down and it forms the letter “J” for Jesus.
  • The longest candy cane ever made was 97 inches, over 8 feet long.
  • The most candy canes hung on a single tree is 6,425.
  • Brasher O. Westerfield invented the automated machine to make candy canes in 1921. Previously, each one was made by hand. Before this, each cane was made by hand.
  • They have no fat or cholesterol. They do have carbs.
  • 1.76 billion candy canes are made each year.
  • They were first made over 350 years ago.
  • Red and white striped candy canes were first made in 1900.

How to Celebrate National Candy Cane Day

  • Eat them.
  • Bake with them.
  • Flavor hot chocolate.
  • Give them away.
  • Got a box of them? Donate the box to food pantries.
  • Put a few in the freezer to consume later in the year.
  • Crush them and put them on top of ice cream or pudding.

Thought for Today

“Normality is a paved road. It’s comfortable to walk, but no flowers grow on it.” – – Vincent Van Gogh

Candy Canes

History and Origin of National Candy Cane Day

We know a lot about the history and origin of candy canes. However, we know little about who created this holiday and why it was created. More intriguing – – why is it celebrated on December 26, the day after Christmas?

We tracked the creation of this holiday back to 2010. We have not yet identified who created this day. But, the National Confectioner’s Association is a sponsor of this day and maybe the creator(s). As to why it is celebrated the day after Christmas, our speculation is to encourage using the many millions of candy canes given out over the holidays. There certainly is no shortage of holiday recipes that use those leftover candy canes. Candy cookies anyone!?

We found no congressional records or presidential proclamation making this a “true” national holiday or observance.

Definition of “National” Days – And why it is important to distinguish true national days.



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Did You Know? There are literally thousands of daily holidays, special events, and observances, more than one for every day of the year. and many of these holidays are new. People and organizations are creating new holidays regularly. December holidays are no exception. Consequently., at Holiday Insights, we take great efforts to thoroughly research and document the details of each one, as completely and accurately as possible.

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