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National Candy Cane Day

Food · December 26

A day for the candy cane, the striped, hooked peppermint stick that hangs on trees and gets stirred into cocoa every winter.

National Candy Cane Day falls on Saturday, December 26, 2026. That is 60 days away.

The candy cane is a stick of hard sugar candy bent into a hook at one end. The classic version is white with red stripes and tastes of peppermint, though shops now carry them in fruit flavors, cinnamon and colors that would confuse a barber pole.

The hook makes it useful as well as sweet. It hangs neatly from a tree branch or the rim of a mug, which is why so many end up as decorations before anyone eats them. Some never get eaten at all and come back out of the ornament box a year later, slightly sticky.

People enjoy them in a few familiar ways. Some lick one slowly until the hook becomes a sharp point. Others stir one into hot chocolate, where it melts and leaves a minty swirl. Crushed candy canes show up on frosted cookies, brownies and the rims of cups, adding crunch and a bit of color.

The candy itself is mostly sugar and corn syrup, cooked until hard, then pulled and twisted with the colored stripe while still warm. That pulling is what gives a good candy cane its slightly airy, glossy look, and it is why the stripes spiral around the stick instead of running straight down it.

Ways to celebrate

• Stir a candy cane into a mug of hot chocolate.
• Crush a few and sprinkle them over frosted cookies.
• Try a flavor you have never had before.
• Hang leftover canes on a tree or wreath.
• Share a handful with neighbors or coworkers.

Dates

All national days on December 26

Also on December 26

• National Thank You Note Day
• National Whiner's Day

Categories: Food days