Peppermint Joy: Candy Cane Art Inspired by Memory
- anartistslament
- Dec 15, 2025
- 3 min read
Welcome to Whimsy & Warmth: The Art of Winter Celebration, a series that pairs winter nostalgia with original artwork from my Zazzle shop, Wrapped With Wonder. Some motifs sparkle, others stir quiet emotion, but all of them remind us how holiday memory lives in everyday objects. Today, we follow peppermint’s playful trail — candy canes swirling in joy, ribbons dancing in color, and winter celebration styled in red and white.
Part 2
Candy canes have always felt a little magical to me. It might be the stripes — red and white like a childhood decision made in crayon — or maybe it’s the way they appear only once a year, showing up like old friends you didn’t realize you missed until they arrive again. They aren’t just candy, really. They are a ritual of winter: something you hang, share, break, tuck into stockings, or simply carry in your pocket until it softens with body heat.
In this holiday collection for my Zazzle shop, Wrapped with Wonder, I leaned into that sense of return and repetition with four candy cane patterns: “Candy Cane Chorus–Stripe–Diagonal,” “Candy Cane Chorus,” “Candy Cane Jumble,” and “Peppermint Charm.” Individually, they’re playful arrangements of stripes, bows, and peppermint swirls. Together, they feel like different verses of the same seasonal song.
“Candy Cane Chorus–Stripe–Diagonal” is the most restrained of the group — clean diagonal bands of peppermint red and winter white. It reminds me of wrapping paper torn from a roll on the living room floor. There’s something soothing about repetition and direction, the quiet discipline of lines marching in unison.
Then comes “Candy Cane Chorus,” where tidy holiday stripes become vertical ribbons of joy. Candy canes with lush red bows, gentle holly leaves, and tiny winter motifs create a parade of holiday sweetness. It’s orderly, but not stiff — like a choir standing in rows, each voice distinct but contributing to something shared.
With “Candy Cane Jumble,” everything breaks free. Candy canes scatter and overlap, bowing and bending in different directions as if tossed into the air. It feels like the moment the box of decorations spills onto the floor — messy, delightful, full of possibility. Memory isn’t always arranged or predictable; sometimes it’s a jumble you sort through later, smiling at what you find.
Finally, “Peppermint Charm” brings the whole collection into focus. Oversized candy canes tied with cascading red ribbons and tiny turquoise accents create a sense of celebration. Polka dots scatter like confetti. The pattern feels both traditional and contemporary — a little nostalgic, a little bold, entirely joyful.
What I love about these peppermint motifs is how they carry emotion without saying a word. For some, candy canes might spark memories of winter nights and church pageants; for others, it’s simply the taste of peppermint on the tongue, or the feeling of being small and waiting (impatiently) for the holidays to arrive.
Art, like ritual, repeats itself. I find comfort in drawing these shapes over and over — repeating lines and ribbons until it feels right. Somewhere in these patterns is the child who tucked a candy cane into a coat pocket, the adult who still stops to notice the way stripes curve at the bend, the artist who keeps looking for meaning in the simplest things.
These designs are my reminder that celebration doesn’t have to be loud. Sometimes it’s a pattern, a color, a familiar shape — something that catches your eye and whispers, you remember this.
Resources, Further Reading, and Discovery
Tools I Used:
iPad Pro + Apple Pencil
Procreate app
6B and Studio Pen brushes
Snapping and Alpha Lock features
Whimsy & Warmth: The Art of Winter Celebration Series:
Silent Symphony: Finding Tranquility in Winter’s Embrace
Holiday Echoes: When Tradition Leaves a Trace
Some Peppermint Fun:
More From Zazzle:
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