during the Christmas season, the candy cane industry experiences a huge increase in sales.

By 2023, confectionery sales during the holiday season will reach nearly $7 billion, Carly Schildhaus, director of public affairs and communications for the National Confectioners Association (NCA), told FOX Business in an email electronic, and this figure is expected to increase to 3% by 2024.

Not surprisingly, most candy cane sales occur between November and December, with the most popular selling time in the second week of December, according to the NCA website, Always a Treat.

Candy canes have become a staple of the Christmas season for decorating and as candy. (/iStock)

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Today, candy cane flavors extend far beyond the classic peppermint. There are candy canes based on favorite candies, such as Nerds, Swedish Fish, Sour Patch, Sweetarts, Lifesavers and others.

Today you can find even more obscure candy cane flavors, like chocolate, bacon, and even mac and cheese.

Candy canes are not only eaten, they are also used decorate the Christmas trees.

In fact, half of Americans plan to use candy canes as decorations for their tree, or use the gift to decorate packages, Schildhaus told FOX Business.

Candy canes are often used to decorate Christmas trees. (/iStock)

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While modern times have brought unique flavors of candy cane to adorn Christmas trees, they didn’t always come in such a large assortment and weren’t traditionally used to decorate trees.

The exact origin of the candy cane is slightly murky, though there is a common theory to support the beginning of the popular holiday treat.

Candy canes, in their most basic form, are believed to date back to 1670 as a way to keep young singers in Germany quiet during church services.

During that time, the choir master of Cologne Cathedral in Germany gave young singers sugar sticks during the Living Cheche ceremony to keep them quiet, according to Always a Treat.

Candy canes and their flavors have evolved over the years. Today, the flavors go far beyond the classic mint. (Richard Lautens/Toronto Star via Getty Images/Getty Images)

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“In honor of the shepherds featured in the story, he folded the candies into little shepherd’s crooks,” the website notes.

Candy canes first appeared in the United States when August Imgard, a German-Swedish immigrant, decorated a Christmas tree in Wooster, Ohio, with paper ornaments and candy canes in 1847, sparking the tradition throughout the rest of the world. of the country, depending on the place. .

It wasn’t until years later that they started being candy canes widely sold throughout the country.

When candy canes were originally sold, there were no red stripes, according to Always a Treat. Stripes didn’t emerge until the early 20th century, according to the source.

Candy canes are a popular stocking stuffer and can also be attached to gifts for added appeal. (/iStock)

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Prominent candy cane vendors in the early years of the sugary treat included Doscher’s Candies and Bobs Candies.

Doscher’s Candies, a company founded by Claus Doscher in Cincinnati, Ohio, created candy canes in 1871 using peppermint oil, cooking the mixture in copper pans, as well as rolling and kneading by hand, according to the website of the company

Bobs Candies was started around 1920 by Bob McCormack in Georgia, according to the website of Ferrara Candy Company, which makes the brand.

McCormack’s brother-in-law, Father Gregory Keller, was responsible for inventing the innovative machine used to twist the candy and bend it into a cane shape, according to Georgia Public Broadcasting.

The vast majority of candy cane sales are within the Christmas season. (Hauke-Christian Dittrich/Photo Alliance via Getty Images/Getty Images)

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Today, candy canes are so popular that there is even a day dedicated to the treat. Every year it is celebrated on December 26 “National Candy Cane Day.”

As for the “right” way to consume the sugary treat, the verdict is still out.

Fifty-four percent of people eat their candy canes starting at the straight end, while 30 percent eat the curved end first, according to the NCA.

Breaking a candy cane is another way to eat it, with 16 percent of people going with that approach, according to the organization.