The Legend of the Candy Cane – FREE Printable Tag!

Who doesn’t love the sweet look of a striped red and white candy cane at Christmas-time?

And these adorable treats aren’t just mint to taste great, but also they are mint to teach us a lesson!

{{I couldn’t hold back a good pun. :-)}}

But, seriously.  The Legend of the Candy Cane (affiliate link) is a treasured story that I used to share every year with my 2nd graders – and now with my 2 boys.

First, you need to gather together and read this great story…

The Legend of the Candy Cane

The story tells of a Candy maker in Indiana who wanted to make a candy that would help us remember who Christmas is really about.  So he made a Christmas Candy Cane.  He incorporated several symbols for the birth, ministry, and death of Jesus Christ.

He began with a stick of pure white, hard candy.  White to symbolize the virgin birth and sinless nature of Jesus.  Hard candy to symbolize the solid rock, the foundation of the Church, and firmness of the promises of God.

The candymaker made the candy in the form of a “J” to represent the name of Jesus.  It also represented the staff of the “Good Shepherd”.

The candymaker then included red stripes.  He used three small stripes and a large red stripe to represent the suffering Christ endured at the end of his life.

The candy cane becomes an Instant Evangelizing Tool!

Kids learn things so much better when they are brought to life with a story and visuals!  That’s what makes the Candy Cane Legend so effective in sharing Jesus.

After I taught my students about the candy cane, I would have volunteers stand up and retell the story to me – to practice sharing the Gospel.  I would then encourage them to get out into the world (their families, their neighborhoods, their grocery store worker friends, etc.) and share the Good News of the candy  cane.

Buy a box of candy canes, print out the tag at the bottom of this post, attach to a candy cane, and go, tell it on the mountains. 🙂

After you return from your Candy Cane outing, fill up your Happy Buddies’ bellies with this delicious drink…

Candy Cane Cocoa

• 4 cups milk
• 3 (1 ounce) squares semisweet chocolate, chopped
• 4 peppermint candy canes, crushed
• 1 cup whipped cream
• 4 small peppermint candy canes

1. Heat the milk until steaming hot – NOT boiling.
2. Add the chocolate and crushed peppermint candy and allow them to melt and become smooth.
3. Pour into Christmas mugs and garnish with whipped cream and crushed candy canes.
4. Or add candy cane stirring stick to make it extra special. 🙂

Now, for your FREE Printable Legend of the Candy Cane Tag.

**Click HERE for your FREE Printable Candy Cane Tag**

Another great book available about the Legend of the Candy Cane that is directed more for preschoolers is J is for Jesus: The Sweetest Story Ever Told by Crystal Bowman (click image below to buy).

CLICK HERE TO BUY J Is for Jesus: The Sweetest Story Ever Told!

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Happy Candy Cane-ing!