Came across a great candy cane page the other day called "Candy Cane Lane" over at Creative Ladies Ministry. They have posted links to many great candy cane craft projects, recipes and a link back here.

Labels: article, link, website

by: Natalie Aranda

Some customs and traditions are world-widely recognized and accepted, sharing common symbols that identify a season or celebration. Candy canes are listed among those symbols decorating our homes during the winter days.

If you are in search for Christmas Gift Ideas, candy is a traditional present that often is included on the wish list of children and adults. Whether candy canes or hard candy, Christmas is, in addition, a season to explore your creativity.

Candy can be used for both decorating and eating ideas. Ginger shaped cookies and candy canes are a common Christmas decoration in many homes around the world during this season of the year.

Hard candy is excellent to mold decorative figures or shape them with the aid of a cookie cutter. Browse for old family recipes or ask you mom or grandmother for them. You will be amazed with the artwork that you can create with just candy and imagination.

Creativity is important for developing your own Christmas Gift Ideas, but also if you want to purchase some items already made. Give yourself a day for browsing stores and rediscovering the many faces of candy canes.

Canes are often white and red candy, but there are also those listed in green, usually with a touch of mint, and all of them in different size, soft or hard candy, and even molded with different shapes or covered with chocolate.

If you are planning to invite your friends and family to celebrate Christmas at your home, make sure to create a comfortable, warm climate, and decorate your home with candy canes in various color combinations or purchase some of those popular candy cane ornaments available almost anywhere.

However, if you are going to hang up your candy near the Christmas lights, make sure that you are getting hard candy products or it is possible they will melt being so close to the hot bulbs.

After or during the party, allow your guests to take some of the candy cane hanging ornaments, being an excellent prize if you host a reunion in which people compete or play challenging games.

Christmas Gift Ideas that are more traditional include handmade items and artwork, including scholar projects with candy that might be assigned to your children, but providing excellent ideas and fun for all the family, getting involved in decorating and gift making.

Otherwise, as close as this reading, the Internet is an excellent source for Christmas Gift Ideas, including products that you can purchase such as candy baskets, a snowman molded in hard candy, and countless items based on candy canes.

You have the right of choice, purchase home or factory made-gifts, or do it by yourself. There are candy cane boxes especially decorated with Christmas motifs so you can put a bow and a card on them and your gifts are ready, but even more satisfactory is sewing a little bag to be filled with home-made candy that you can prepare.

About the author:
Natalie Aranda writes on holidays and Christmas gift ideas.

Labels: article

by: Teresa McEachern

Over 1.76 billion candy canes are manufactured each year, each one oblivious to the controversy swirling around it.

The truth is that there are few proven facts about the history of the candy cane. We know that the simple white sugar stick has been around since time eternal - or at least as long as candy has been made - but the facts surrounding the reason for the distinctive shape and color are widely disputed.

It seems that most 'candy cane experts' agree that the hooked shape of the candy originated in 1670 at the Cologne Cathedral in Germany. Prior to this, pure white candy sticks were used to decorate Christmas trees until a quick-thinking choirmaster came up with a brilliant plan to keep children quiet during the long-winded living crèche service by plying them with candy. The white sticks were given a bent shape to represent the shepherd's crook. Was it to make candy more befitting a religious atmosphere? Was it to keep with the nativity theme - a shepherd's crook instead of a cross? Was it to celebrate Christ as the Good Shepherd? There doesn't seem to be a record of what was on the Choirmaster's mind, which leaves the meaning open to discussion and many theories abound. One is that it symbolizes the letter 'J', the first letter in Jesus' name. Another is that it became an emblem for Christians to recognize each other during time of persecution, much like the fish shape. Whatever the reasoning behind it, the bent shape was here to stay, and the candy cane was handed out to children at Christmas services all over Europe.

Candy canes remained white for many years. Christmas cards produced prior to 1900 depicted the candy as pure white and then cards made after that date transformed it into the red and white striped confection that we know and love. The first record of a red striped peppermint candy cane comes from the Swedish town of Granna in 1859 where a widow named Amalia Eriksson began making pastries and candy canes to support her family. She called them polkagris, believed to be connected to the polka dance! No one seems to know why she chose to make it striped, or striped red as opposed to another color. Sometimes candy canes were decorated with sugar roses - was it a case of candy making gone bad which led to a new invention? Was there a religious significance so the white represented the purity of Christ and the red represented the blood of his sacrifice? Are there three stripes to represent the Holy Trinity? Was the candy cane peppermint because the hyssop that was used in Old Testament times for purification and sacrifice is also in the mint family? It seems to boil down to the 'big bang' of elements mixing and creating something wondrous or 'creation' with a master plan of meaning and significance.

This holiday season whenever you hang a candy cane on your Christmas tree, use one to stir your hot apple cider, or munch one at a party, give a thought as to why it is in existence. Was it made to keep children quiet in church & feed a widow's family, or is there a deeper significance that adds meaning to Christmas as urban legends suggest?

About the author:
Teresa McEachern founded Lingo T-shirts: t-shirts that talk for you about your passion for sports, hobbies, family, travel, history, holidays or wildlife.

Labels: article

By: Fred Goldman

Take away a woman's chocolate and some say you take away her soul. People throughout the ages have loved healthy bites of divine chocolate.

Queen Isabella first learned about chocolate when Columbus returned from America. He bestowed the magical brown beans known today as cocoa beans.

Often called the food of the Gods, natural chocolate was used by the Aztec Indians who made their own hot chocolate as a sort of royal drink. Emperor Montezuma served bitter chocolate in golden goblets, but Spaniards later decided to sweeten it with cane sugar.

Sugar-free options for chocolate

Today we have the option of sugarless candy and chocolates that do not contain cane sugar. We understand better that sugar is not ideal for our health.

One of the first hints that a woman might be getting her period soon is the fact she begins to crave chocolate. Women love natural chocolate because it eases her moodiness and helps her feel more in balance. Experts say that is because chocolate contains magnesium, which is important for our health. But instead of indulging in sugar, which can make PMS symptoms worse, it's wise to try sugarless candies and chocolates that are natural and healthy.

What does chocolate taste like?

Why is it people crave chocolate whether they have a deficiency in magnesium or not? Chocolate teases the senses with its aroma and luscious taste and texture.

Experts say chocolate actually contains more than 300 distinct chemicals. Caffeine is surprisingly found in small quantities in chocolate so, if you want a caffeine high, it's better to select coffee. Experts say the combination of caffeine and Theobromine, another weak stimulant, does provide a lift for chocolate lovers.

Finally, chocolate contains Phenylethylamine, which is related to amphetamines. They are stronger stimulants. When you dive into a box of chocolate or visit the chocolate store, your body and brain is probably going crazy with desire. Just be smart and select the sugarless candy and natural chocolates for better health.

About the author:
Fred Goldman owner of D-lectable.com. Love chocolate? Hate the synthetic ingredients that make you fat? D-lectable.com has natural chocolate, sugarless, low-calorie, and low-carb. You'll never know the difference, but your scale will!

Labels: article

By J Gardener

He wants to know everything about everything, this five-year-old genius of yours. And he expects you to have the answers, right now. After all, he figures, you're so old, you must know just about all there is to know, right?

So he's going to pester you, this holiday season, with questions about all that goes on and all that he sees and hears. You need to have a few obscure facts at hand, to dazzle and distract him with, as you rush from mall to mall. You might even catch him off-guard, and zing him before he has a chance to challenge your intellect.

For instance, as he unwraps his umteenth candy cane of the season (no, it's probably not good for him, but it keeps him occupied), you can hit him with this:

The candy cane was invented in the late 1600's, by a German choirmaster, who wanted to keep the children at his Christmas services quiet. Originally, these were straight sticks of sugar candy, but the choirmaster made them in the shape of a shepherd's staff as an homage to the season.

We all hear the music of Tchaikovsky's "Nutcracker" at Christmas, but the only section most of us can name is the "Dance Of The Sugar Plum Fairy". So what is a sugar plum, anyway? Well, in 17th century England, the word "plum" was used to describe just about any dried fruit, which was considered a delicacy. Adding sugar made it an extra special treat for children, and given on rare occasions, such as Christmas.

Speaking of plums, another traditional English Christmas dish still served in many places today is plum pudding. Originally it was a soup made with beef, mutton, and dried plums (or prunes), but later, the meat and the prunes were removed, raisins were added, and it was turned into a cake. Today, plum pudding is really a form of raisin cake.

Another Christmas dish which isn't what it sounds like is mincemeat pie. Again, it was originally a pie made with meat-minced-and spices. But, over time, the meat was replaced with fruit. But the name stuck.

Your son probably doesn't know (yet) that the song, "The Twelve Days Of Christmas" was originally written as a song to teach children to count. But many of us have forgotten why there are twelve days to Christmas. It's a Christian tradition that the Wise Men arrived to worship the baby Jesus, twelve days after his birth-the first "expert" acknowledgement of the Messiah.

While we're on the subject, your son may want to know, at some point, just what swaddling clothes are-and why the baby Jesus was wrapped in them. Since ancient times, most cultures have used some form of swaddling-or long pieces of cloth-to wrap newborn babies, to restrict movement and keep them warm, a way of approximating conditions of the womb, in order to keep newborns comfortable. Today, flannel and receiving blankets have replaced swaddling cloth.

You're on a roll, now, tossing out these Christmas tidbits effortlessly, as you drive to the next store to continue your shopping. Your son is in the back seat, silently amazed at your knowledge of All Things. You glance in the rearview mirror to catch the admiration on his face, and-

He's sound asleep. But he must have nodded off, totally impressed. You almost want him to wake up-there's so much more. And you know it all.

About the Author
J Gardener, a writer for Imaginary Greetings, Inc. (http://www.imaginarygreetings.com), is an award winning screenplay copywriter and a regular contributing author on many family oriented issues. Imaginary Greetings offers highly imaginative personalized family oriented products and services. To make your family's holiday magical this season, visit http://www.santas-depot.com for the best selection of everything Christmas.

Labels: article

by Christopher Pratt

There is much written these days about the candy cane; everything from urban legends to historical explanations of just how and when this traditional candy came into being.

The old urban legend says a candy maker in Indiana wanted to symbolize the birth of Christ with the use of a piece of candy, so he took a hard candy stick which was pure white then shaped it into a letter "J" for Jesus and added some red stripes to represent God's love and the trinity. This legend has been disputed, unfortunately; although one could believe what one wants regarding the Christmas delicacy.

The actual history of the candy cane goes more like this. At Cologne Cathedral back in 1670, the choirmaster was nervous that the children who were attending the pageant of living nativities would become a little too antsy and disruptive, so he gave them a white candy stick bent into the shape of a shepherd's crook. This kept the little tikes appeased and became a tradition throughout Europe.

The candy canes became popular in America by the 1800's and were used to help decorate Christmas trees. The little canes were still pure white at this time and were even depicted on Christmas cards as such.

In the early 20th century, the canes gained the beautiful red striping they bear today. Bob McCormick of Albany, GA, is the confectioner responsible for reinventing the candy cane into the model we buy today.

Now, what all can one do with a Candy Cane? Well, it is possibly one of the most recognized symbols of Christmas today. But, it is not just a yummy treat: Not at all! We have become an inventive lot at the holidays, and folks find many diverse uses for their candy. Try some of these:

Make a minty candy stirring stick for hot chocolate, tea, or any hot drink.

Make creative decorations with them: Attach brown pipe cleaners to the crook of the candy cane and make antlers for a candy cane reindeer.

Decorate frosted cakes or cupcakes with crushed candy canes.

Make a garland for the fireplace using the candy canes and evergreens boughs.

Use the tiny candy canes to make a Christmas wreath for the door. Leave in wrappers of course.

Stick a candy cane in the glasses or mugs on your holiday table with name tags attached for each guest.

Make your own holiday cards using a candy cane on the front.

Make a peppermint cream pie using the broken pieces of your candy canes.

Leave them in their cellophane wrappers and put them on the Christmas tree.

Dip the candy canes in chocolate for a new twist on an old favorite.

And if nothing else, have a seat and enjoy eating a candy cane. Regardless of their origin or what they represent, the fact is, they are a tasty treat recognized worldwide; Enjoy!

About the Author

Christopher Pratt is President of Candy Warehouse, the leading online Candy Store for bulk candy discounts and specialty candy for specific occasions. Right now see their Christmas Candy Gift ideas for the holiday season.

Labels: article

By Dorothy M. Neddermeyer, PhD

Few people know the history of Christmas Celebrations and Traditions. The idea to celebrate Christmas on December 25th dates back to the 4th century. The Catholic Church wanted to eclipse the festivities of a rival pagan religion that threatened Christianity’s existence.

Romans celebrated the birth of their sun god, Mithras that time of year. Although, it was not popular, or even proper, to celebrate people’s birthdays in those times, church leaders decided that in order to compete with the pagan sun god celebration they would organize a festival in celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ. Facts not withstanding, Jesus’ birth is thought to be in the spring, December 25th was chosen as the official birth celebration as Christ’s Mass so that it would compete head on with the rival pagan celebration.

The December 25th celebration was slow to catch on in colonial America. The early colonists considered it a pagan ritual and it was banned by law in Massachusetts in colonial times.

The word for Christ in Greek is Xristos. During the 16th century, Europeans began using the first initial of Christ’s name, “X” in place of the word Christ in Christmas as a short hand form of the word. Although, the early Christians understood that X stood for Christ’s name, later Christians who did not understand the Greek language mistook “Xmas” as a sign of disrespect. This myth is still perpetuated today.

Santa Claus, St Nicholas, originated in Turkey in the 4th century. He was very pious from an early age, devoting his life to Christianity. He became widely known for his generosity for the poor. However, the Romans held him in contempt. He was imprisoned and tortured. When Constantine became emperor of Rome, he allowed St. Nicholas to go free. Constantine became a Christian and convened the Council of Nicaea in 325. St. Nicholas was a delegate to the council. He is especially noted for his love of children and for his generosity. He is the patron saint of sailors, Sicily, Greece and Russia. He is also, of course, the patron saint of children. The Dutch kept the legend of St. Nicholas alive. In 16th century Holland, Dutch children placed their wooden shoes by the hearth in hopes that they would be filled with a treat. The Dutch spelled St. Nicholas as Sint Nikolaaas, which became Sinterklaas, and finally, in Anglican, to Santa Claus. In 1822, Clement C. Moore composed the poem, “A Visit from St. Nick,” which was later published as “The Night Before Christmas.” Moore is credited with creating the modern image of Santa Claus as a jolly fat man in a red suit.

The Druids used Mistletoe to celebrate the coming of winter, two hundred years before the birth of Christ. They gathered this evergreen plant that is parasitic upon other trees to decorate their homes. They believed the plant had special healing powers for everything from female infertility to poison ingestion. Scandinavians considered mistletoe a plant of peace and harmony. They associated mistletoe with their goddess of love, Frigga. Thus, the custom of kissing under the mistletoe probably originated from this belief. The early church banned the use of mistletoe in Christmas celebrations because of its pagan origins. Not to be outdone by pagan traditions, Church fathers suggested the use of holly as the appropriate Christmas greenery.

The use of a Christmas tree originated in 16th century Germany. It was common for the Germanic people to decorate fir trees, both inside and out, with roses, apples, and colored paper. It is believed that Martin Luther, the Protestant reformer, was the first to light a Christmas tree with candles. While coming home one dark winter night near Christmas, he noticed the beauty of the starlight shining through the branches of a small fir tree outside his home. He replicated the starlight by using candles attached to the branches of his indoor tree. The Christmas tree was not widely used in Britain until the 19th century. In the 1820’s the Christmas tree was brought to Pennsylvania by German immigrants.

Named for America’s first ambassador to Mexico, Joel Poinsett, the poinsettia plant was brought to America in 1828. Native to Mexico, the poinsettia plant was thought to be symbolic of the Star of Bethlehem in the 18th century. Thus the Poinsettia became associated with the Christmas season. The actual flower of the poinsettia is small and yellow. Surrounding the flower are large, bright red leaves, often mistaken for flower petals.

The production of hard candy has been around for centuries. It wasn’t until early 1900 that they were decorated with red stripes and bent into the shape of a cane. They were sometimes handed out during church services to keep the children quiet. One story told about the origin, probably folklore, has been passed down from the 1800’s. As the story goes, a candy maker in Indiana wanted to express the meaning of Christmas through a symbol made of candy. He had an idea of bending one of his white candy sticks into the shape of a Candy Cane. He incorporated several symbols of Christ’s love and sacrifice through the Candy Cane. First, he used a plain white peppermint stick. The color white symbolizes the purity and sinless nature of Jesus.

Next, he added three small stripes to symbolize the pain inflicted upon Jesus before his death. There are three of them to represent the Holy Trinity. He added a bold stripe to represent the blood Jesus shed for mankind. When looked at with the crook on top, it looks like a shepherd’s staff because Jesus is the shepherd of mankind. If you turn it upside down, it becomes the letter ‘J’ symbolizing the first letter in Jesus’ name. The candy maker made these candy canes for Christmas, so everyone would remember the true meaning of Christmas. A Catholic priest, Gregory Keller, invented a machine to automate candy cane production during the 1950's.

Dorothy M. Neddermeyer, PhD, author, and international speaker specializes in: Mind, Body, Spirit healing and Physical/Sexual Abuse Prevention and Recovery. As an inspirational leader, Dr. Neddermeyer empowers people to view life's challenges as an opportunity for Personal/Professional Growth and Spiritual Awakening. www.drdorothy.net

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Dorothy_M._Neddermeyer,_PhD

Labels: article

By Teresa Hansen

What are your favorite memories of the holidays as a child?

More than likely those memories include family traditions from, the day you choose to decorate your tree, to the kinds of food you eat at the holidays.

Remember that you and your husband came from separate families with different customs and traditions.

When creating a legacy for your children, it is appropriate to use a couple traditions from each of your families and come up with some new ones for your own family. Don’t try to do them all or you’ll end up feeling overwhelmed rather than enriched. Here are some ideas.

Kick off the holiday season by attending an event every year. Some suggestions are: The Festival of Trees, attend a play such as A Christmas Carol, or a Christmas concert.

Together, bake a cake on Christmas Eve for Jesus to remind you whose birthday you are really celebrating. Light a candle and even sing “Happy Birthday” to Him.

Sound, smells and tastes can certainly bring back fond memories of past Christmases. The sound that is Christmas to me is Johnny Mathis’s Christmas album, which my mother played each year and I still adore now.

The food that means “holiday” to me is this frozen fruit salad recipe. We had it almost every holiday season. What are the sounds, smells and tastes that evoke your Christmas memories? Include those as part of your family’s traditions.

This tradition was submitted by Marilyn Brina:
On Christmas morning, the youngest child goes in and opens his stocking. The the other children go in and open their stockings all while Dad is taking movies of us. Then Dad hands out each gift and we all watch as each gift is opened. Then after the gifts are opened, we eat scrambled eggs, sweet rolls and hot chocolate for breakfast.

There are several books of compiled Christmas short stories available in bookstores and libraries. Read to your family each night before bedtime.

On the first day of December read to your family “The Giving Tree”, by Shel Silverstein. As a family, make an advent calendar in the shape of a tree and determine 25 “gifts” you can share with neighbors, relative, teachers, and friends. The gifts could be things such as shoveling snow from a neighbor’s walk, visiting a widow, taking homemade bread to someone. Write each gift on a separate “leaf” and attach it to the tree. Number the leaves from 1 to 25. Each day during December, turn over the corresponding leaf on the calendar and give whatever “gift” is listed there.

Use your children’s artwork (which most families have in great abundance) to decorate wrapped packages. Your children will feel pride in the fact that their work is contributing to the holiday decorations.

Each Christmas of my childhood we would go “Santa Clausing”. My dad dressing up as Santa we children would dress as elves or reindeer. We would then deliver plates of Christmas goodies to friends and neighbors as we caroled. And of course, Santa had a candy cane in his bag for each child he encountered.

Give a new ornament to each child each year. Store each child’s collection in a special box that he can take with him when he leaves the nest. Not only will it give your child a few ornaments to decorate his tree, but it will be a reminder of past Christmases.

Take lots of pictures throughout the holidays. Each year create several new scrapbook pages that can be put into a special Christmas scrapbook album. It is wonderful to have out at holiday family gatherings for everyone to enjoy!

Several years we have been on the giving and the receiving end of “The 12 Days of Christmas”. Pick an individual or family that may be having a difficult holiday season, or that you just want to friendship. Each night anonymously leave a small gift with a note or poem on the receivers porch. (It can be exciting and tricky trying not to get caught 12 nights in a row!)

Another option is to compile the 12 gifts all at the same time. Be sure they are small and lay them on a 4 to 5 foot piece of colored plastic wrap. Enclose gifts in wrap and make a long rope separating each gift with ties of ribbon. Each night the receivers can cut off a new gift, and you only have one chance of being caught!

Use traditions to create lasting happy memories for your family that can be looked forward to every year.

~~~~~
Teresa Hansen is the creator of Moms Making It!
http://www.momsmakingit.com sharing creative ideas to save time, save money, and enrich your life! She is a wife, and mother of five children, and always looking for new ideas and products for moms “making it!” Get "Christmas Neighborhood Gift Ideas" ebook FREE by signing up for the newsletter at her site.

Source: www.isnare.com

Labels: article

By Donna Monday

Candy canes are everyone’s favorite holiday treat. Just think about how versatile they are. Not only do candy canes look great hanging from Christmas trees, but their versatility makes them perfect for all kinds of decorative uses.

Candy canes can be crushed or used whole in holiday arts and crafts projects. How about adding candy canes to your homemade holiday gift baskets?

Peppermint candy canes are usually red and white, but they can also be found in fun colors like red, green and white, and also flavors like orange, cherry, and even chocolate!

You can find candy canes sprinkled inside of cookies and other delicious Christmas recipes.

Candy canes make great ornaments. You can buy real ones and hang them around the house or the plastic version works fine too.

To create a festive mood on the holiday dinner table you can put out a couple of candy cane candles.

Got a wreath? Stick a few candy canes inside and watch your guests smile. Candy canes always seem to make people happy.

Mini candy canes can be crafted into a candy cane tree and used as a centerpiece. Another fun idea is to make your own candy cane pins and hand them out as gifts or stocking stuffers.

Some people even put large candy cane decorations outside of their houses. Some of these giant candy cane replicas even light up inside!

No matter how you enjoy candy canes, they are sure to make your holiday celebrations much more delightful.

About the Author: Copyright 2005 Donna Monday Love Cookies? All Your favorites here http://www.best-cookie-jar-recipes.com

Source: www.isnare.com

Labels: article