The Cutest Ways to Eat a Candy Cane This Christmas

National Candy Cane Day is December 26—but why wait until after Christmas to enjoy its most iconic candy? For many of us, it’s just not Christmas until we hang candy canes on the tree—or grab one off the tree and stir it into our hot cocoa!

There’s no doubt about it, candy canes are a Christmas tradition. You probably remember candy canes being around at Christmas when you were a kid, but they actually go back more than 350 years, making them one of our longest-standing Christmas traditions. Kids were enjoying candy canes way before anyone ever heard “Jingle Bell Rock” or took a picture with Santa. (Can you even imagine a time before “Jingle Bell Rock”?!)

Today, just the image of a candy cane and its distinctive red and white pattern is synonymous with Christmas, but that doesn’t mean you can’t mix it up when it comes to getting your candy cane fix this year. In fact, even that iconic red and white stripe is actually relatively new; until around 1900, candy canes were solid white. So we say have your candy cane any way you like—just make sure you have one!—and together we’ll keep this Christmas tradition going for another 350 years.