He began with a stick of pure white, hard candy. White to symbolize the Virgim Birth and the sinless nature of Jesus, and hard to symbolize the Solid Rock, the foundation of the Church, and firmness of the of the promises of God.
The candymaker made the candy in the form of a "J" to represent the prescious name of Jesus, who came to earth as our Savior. It could also represent the staff of the "Good Shepherd" with which he reaches down into the ditches of the world to lift out the fallen lambs, like all sheep, have gone astray.
Thinking that the candy was somewhat plain, the candymaker stained it with red stripes. He used three small stripes to show the stripes of scourging Jesus received by which we are healed. The large red stripe was for the blood shed by Christ on the cross so that we could have the promise of eternal life.
Unfortunately, the candy became known as a Candy Cane-- a meaningless decoration seen at Christmas time. But the meaning is still there for those who "have eyes to see and ears to hear." Every time you see a Candy Cane, remember the Wander of Jesus and His Great Love that came down at Christmas, and that His Love remains the ultimate and dominant force in the universe today.