Things That Became Symbols Without Anyone Planning It

German church tradition holds that, in 1670, a choir director asked a local baker for sugar sticks to keep noisy children quiet during long services. To make them more fitting for the occasion, the baker curved the tops into shepherd’s staves. In the early 1900s, confectioners added peppermint oil and vivid red spirals. Every December, generations of children hung the candies from pine tree branches.