A response to the GAMM Christmas Legends Challenge on the GAMM yahoo groups list. Use a Christmas legend or poem and create a GAMM story, using a Christmas legend or poem. The full authorship of the Legend of the Candy Cane is unknown. I welcome any other information about possible writers that contributed to the original legend.
My thanks to Susan G., who gave me a good way to end it!
Disclaimer: The characters from 'The Ghost and Mrs. Muir ' belong to 20th Century Fox and David Gerber productions. No infringement is intended, no profit made, and they will be returned unharmed from whence they came. This story is for enjoyment only.
Ammie Come Home is a real book, written by Barbara Michaels.
"All other characters, plots, storylines and development of GAMM characters belong to the author and may not be used or changed without express written permission.
The Legend of the Candy Cane
Mary
"Mom, do you think it will stop snowing long enough for us to go into town today?" Jonathan asked, staring out the window at the lightly falling snow, three days after Christmas.
Carolyn looked up from the living room couch where she was reading her new 'Ammie Come Home' novel she had received from Martha for Christmas and heaved a sigh. "I haven't the slightest idea, Jonathan! Why are you so anxious to get to town?" She paused. "Don't you have enough toys and games to keep you busy?"
"Well, yeah, I guess . . ." The boy hesitated. "But, Captain Gregg said he had to go do something, so he can't play at the moment, and the paint on my model ship is drying, so I can't work on that, and I was thinking it would be fun to go into town and buy something with the Christmas money great-aunt Jenny sent us."
"It's burning a hole in your pocket, huh?" Carolyn grinned. Aunt Jenny was her mother's sister, and always sent a bit of cash to the children for Christmas, much to the children's delight. Usually they spent the money in their heads ten times over before finally deciding on what they wanted. "I don't think so Jonathan. It's still snowing, and you know how I feel about driving in the snow! But I am sure we can make it into town before you go back to school — we have another week before that happens!"
Jonathan looked disappointed and turned back to the window where he breathed on it and started drawing figures on the foggy glass. Then Candy looked up from where she was quietly sketching with the new pastel charcoals Martha had given her for Christmas.
"Mom, can I have a candy cane?"
"I think they are all gone sweetie!" Carolyn said with a smile, "But go ahead and look if you want to — if you find one you can have one. You too, Jonathan! I doubt if it will ruin your appetite!"
Both Jonathan and Candy made a dive for the tree in the corner of the room. "Found one!" Jonathan exclaimed.
"Mom, that's not fair! It was my idea!" Candy cried, looking in vain for another one, irritated at the sharp eyes and quick reflexes of her brother, who, only seconds before, had been at the window seat.
"Here, Candy! You can have it!" The boy handed the candy cane to his sister, covering a smile.
"Hey! Wait a minute!" Candy exclaimed, "It's glass! Pretend!" and she handed the candy cane to her mother. "Now, why would there be a fake candy cane on the tree when there were so many real ones?" The girl looked confused.
"Because I put it there." Martha said, coming into the room, drying her hands on a towel.
Carolyn and the children turned to her in surprise.
"Martha, you?" Jonathan said in wonder. "I thought you didn't even like peppermint!"
"Yeah, Martha!" Candy added. "How come?"
"As a reminder," Martha said quietly. "You mean with all the stories Captain Gregg and your mother have been telling you, you missed the legend of the Candy Cane?"
The children nodded, and Carolyn shook her head. "I forgot about that one Martha! Thank-you for remembering it!"
The children looked at their mother expectantly and Carolyn gazed back at Martha.
"Well, you can probably tell it better than I can, Mrs. Muir," said Martha, settling herself on the couch where Carolyn handed her the glass candy cane.
"No, Martha," Candy coaxed. "You tell it! I'm really interested . . . that's my name, you know - Candy!"
"Yeah, Martha," Jonathan added. "Besides, you haven't told any Christmas legend stories yet. Please?"
Martha held the candy cane up in front of the children. "What does this look like?"
"Candy," replied Jonathan promptly.
His sister punched him on the arm. "Keep your mind off your stomach, Jonathan!" She turned back to Martha. "Uhm . . ." She paused. "What it says it is maybe? A cane?"
"Or the letter 'J,' if you turn it upside down," said Jonathan, rubbing his shoulder, "As in Jonathan?"
"You're both right." Martha stated. "But, to answer you first, Candy, it is a cane. And do you remember any other names for a cane?" Again she stopped and looked at them both. "Like maybe one-thousand nine-hundred and seventy-one years ago?"
"It looks like a shepherd's crook!" Candy exclaimed, "Like the one I had to carry in the Christmas pageant!"
"That's right," Martha nodded. "The symbol of the shepherd's crook is an ancient one, and represents the shepherds who were the first to worship the newborn Christ. Its counterpart is our candy cane."
"Wow, that's old!" Jonathan commented.
"It certainly is," Martha looked at the boy sitting at her feet. "It's so old a symbol that we have nearly forgotten where it came from. Legend has it that in 1670, the choirmaster at the Cologne Cathedral handed out sugar sticks to his young singers to keep them quiet during the long Living Creche ceremony. I am guessing that the show ran at least three times the length of your Christmas pageant! In honor of the occasion, he had the candies bent into shepherds' crooks. Then in 1847 . . ."
"Hey! Captain Gregg was still alive then!" Jonathan interrupted.
"I was indeed!" came the voice of Daniel Gregg as he materialized into the room. "But let us hear the rest of Martha's story!"
"Hi, Captain!" they all said, and the seaman seated himself on the window seat that Jonathan had vacated.
"Then, in 1847," Martha continued, "As legend has it, a German-Swedish immigrant named August Imgard of Wooster, Ohio, decorated a small blue spruce with paper ornaments and candy canes."
"But they were white?" Candy asked, "What about the stripes? I always thought Candy Canes looked like a barber pole, sorta."
"I'm getting to that," said Martha. "It wasn't until the turn-of-the-century that the design and flavor of the candy cane were adopted as a norm. The peppermint flavor, is now said to signify the regal gift of spice. The body of the cane is white, representing Christ's virgin birth, and the sinless life of Christ. As for the stripes, well, the three narrow stripes represent the scourging of Christ suffered on his way to the cross in our stead, by which we were healed. The broad red stripe is symbolic of the blood of Christ - the Lord's sacrifice for man and the promise of eternal life, and is there to remind us how much he cared for us . . . His gift of love."
All were silent for a moment.
"I understand that some candy canes have green stripes, which are thought to remind us of the growth of Christianity over the years, and new life and hope for mankind," the Captain said softly. "Hope is important, too, I think. Hope and faith are the two things that keep mankind progressing – trusting that all things will unfold as they should." And he gave Carolyn an intense look that made her blush.
"I see . . ." said Jonathan thoughtfully. "And if you turn the candy cane upside down that letter 'J' stands for Jesus."
"Exactly," said Martha. "My mother gave me this glass candy cane more than forty years ago, and I have hung it on my Christmas tree every year to remind me of the original meaning behind them - a symbol of the humble roots of Christianity. When I moved to Schooner Bay with you all almost three years ago, I brought it with me." And the older woman paused again. " You are my family. . . all of you . . ." She looked at everyone in the room in turn, saving the Captain for last. ". . . And I wanted to share my favorite Christmas story with you — my family."
"Thank-you Martha!" said Candy, giving the housekeeper a hug. "I'm so glad you hung it there! Now every time I see a candy cane I'll think about what you told us." And the little girl stopped and asked timidly, "Why didn't you ever tell us the story before?"
"I don't know . . ." said the housekeeper with a shrug. "I suppose because the history of candy canes never came up in quite the same way before. I think this year it seems to mean more somehow. Besides . . ." She gave the Captain a saucy look. "It's nice to learn about all these legends and traditions of different times and places. And I am glad I had a story to tell that is more than a hundred and forty-seven years old — older than a certain sea captain I know!" and she gave Daniel Gregg a wink.
"Well, there's just one more thing . . ." said Jonathan, as he rose from the floor and gave the housekeeper a hug and a kiss.
"What's that Jonathan?" Carolyn asked, putting her book aside again.
"All this talk about candy canes has REALLY made me hungry . . . and the snow has stopped . . . can we PLEASE go to Ollie's General Store and get some more?"
Laughing, the family moved toward their coats and the front door.