Luke 2:26-And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ.
My son in law John recently sent in a message the picture of Caeser Salad flavored candy canes. I looked at them and immediately thought no way. How in the world would they taste? I like both things. Candy canes are a part of Christmas decorating and I like Caeser salad which is my "go to" for salads when we go out. It made me think about something. During the Christmas season, we often seek compromises that are meant to make things more palatable to society. We try to make it more inclusive and less "religious" so that we don't offend anyone and stay politically correct. We move away from saying Merry Christmas to less offensive things like "Happy Holidays, Season's Greetings or Yuletide Greetings. There is even a site that gives 150 ways to say anything other than Merry Christmas. I wonder why we think that saying something other than Merry Christmas will somehow make the whole thing more healthy and inclusive. Keeping the Christ out of Christmas is man's way of eliminating the real reason for the season. I think the reality is this: a candy cane by any flavor is still a candy cane and no matter how we try to make it appeal to more people it is ridiculous to try and make it something it isn't. There is no wonder of Christmas without Christ. There is no joy, love and laughter except in knowing that He came for us.
The first historical reference to the familiar cane shape goes back to 1670. The choirmaster at the Cologne Cathedral in Germany first bent the sugar-sticks into the shape of canes to represent a shepherd's staff. The all-white candy canes were then given out to children during the long-winded nativity services. the clergymen's custom of handing out candy canes during Christmas services would eventually spread throughout Europe and later to America. At the time, the canes were still white, but sometimes the candy-makers would add sugar-roses to further decorate the canes. In, 1847, the first historical reference to the candy cane in America appeared when a German immigrant named August Imgard decorated the Christmas tree in his Wooster, Ohio home with candy canes.
It has been claimed that the cane was shaped like a "J" for "Jesus" and that the red-and-white stripes represented Christ's blood and purity. The three red stripes were also said to symbolize the Holy Trinity and the hardness of the candy represented the Church's foundation on solid rock. As for the candy cane's peppermint flavor, it represented the use of hyssop, an herb referred to in the Old Testament. If that is true, we don't know but I do know this.
A candy cane will always be a candy cane and Christmas will always start with a Capital C as it begins with the proper name Christ. As for me and my house, we will say Merry Christmas and nothing else.
Much love
Preach
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