A/N: Well, I'm at it again, doing another holiday set for Supernatural with my pal Altsoba! I hope you will enjoy these 25 stories dedicated to SPN for the Christmas season! Theme 15: Candy Canes

The Mystery of Candy Canes

"Why are they shaped like a cane?"

"I don't know."

"Why are they peppermint flavored? Why not cherry?"

"I don't know," came the weary response.

Silence for a moment, then the younger boy spoke up again. "How did they get them red and white? Did they paint them?"

"I don't know!" Dean exclaimed at last, whirling on his little brother who was staring at his candy cane with a quizzical expression. "Why can't you just eat it?"

The small boy frowned. "I just wanted to know," he said before slouching off to the couch, sucking on the candy stick with a pout on his face.

Inwardly, Dean sighed. He didn't mean to be so short with Sam; he just had a lot on his mind during the holiday season, like whether or not he was going to be able to afford any presents this year, or if they would be able to have a tree. He didn't have time to answer dumb questions about candy canes.

Sometimes he wondered what made Sam so dang inquisitive- seriously, the kid wanted to know the answers to everything, even things that had never thought about before. But then, Dean liked to keep things simple. He didn't care how the candy cane was made as long as he got to eat it. Still. . .

The next day when he came home from school, Dean sat Sam down on the couch and pulled a sheet of paper out of his pocket.

"What did I do?" the younger boy asked bewildered,

Dean shook his head. "Nothing. I just have the answers to your questions."

Sam's face lit up. "Really?"

"Yup," his brother answered with a nod, unfolding his paper. "Okay, listen up Sammy. People debate over it, but it seems like candy canes are shaped the way they are because it's like a shepherd's crook, like those the shepherds had in the Nativity Story. Others say it's a J, for the baby Jesus. They used to hang them on Christmas trees for decoration, but for a long time they were only colored white. It wasn't until about the 20th century that the red stripes were added to them. They get the red stripe in by coloring a strip of the stuff red, then twisting it with another strip of candy that's white, then they cook it. As for why they're flavored peppermint, the only reason I could find is that the flavor of peppermint is similar to another member of the mint family, hyssop. In the Old Testament hyssop was used for purification and sacrifice, and this is said to symbolize the purity of Jesus and the sacrifice he made."

Dean tossed the paper aside, reaching for the remote. "Happy?"

Sam nodded, his eyes thoughtful. "Yup." He reached over and hugged his brother. "Thanks Dean." Snagging another of the candy canes from the table, he snuggled against his brother, slurping away happily.