Kids have loved candy canes for a long time. According to the legend, the peppermint variety most associated with the holidays was conceived in 1670 by the choirmaster of Cologne Cathedral. He was looking for a way to quiet children down during long church services, he asked a local confectioner to create the sweet peppery stick as a sort of pacifier. 
These days, no Christmas Tree is complete without a handful of red and white canes hanging from the boughs, waiting to be savored on Christmas morning.