andy Canes in Lilliland

aron Von Lodge was the head of a small country known as Lilliland near Switzerland. The time was the early 1900s.

Every year at Christmas time Lilliland Castle received a large gift box of candy canes from Cousin Bill in York, England. A special royal messenger hand delivers the package from the Grand Duke William of York.

The candy canes have been an annual gift for many Christmas times past. In fact, it was for as long as the Baron could remember. The gifts, as usual, were given to all the children of Lilliland to help brighten up their Christmas celebration.

The following summer, while the Baron was vacationing in England with Lady Angela of Alpine Castle, they visited the Grand Duke at this castle in York. The Baron thanked the Duke for his thoughtfulness and generosity in sending the candy canes to Lilliland at Christmas. The time was just right to ask the question of the Grand Duke to find out why he sends these fine gifts in the first place. So, the Baron asked the Grand Duke the question that he had wondered about for many years.

The answer that the Grand Duke gave to the Baron was really quite simple. When the Grand Duke was growing up, he remembered visiting Lilliland as a young boy and recalled that of all the places to be at Christmas time, it was Lilliland. It was the perfect place that he would like to be during the Christmas festivities. And while not able to leave his duties in York, England, he felt that by sending the candy canes, his thoughts and best wishes would be with the people of Lilliland. The Duke would be present in spirit at Christmas time in Lilliland because of the gift of the candy canes.

Upon his return to Lilliland, the Baron and Lady Angela thought of the nice reason that the Grand Duke sent the candy canes. The Baron asked Lady Angela to help him find a suitable gift to send the Grand Duke.

It was decided to commission an oil painting of Lilliland Castle on Castle Lake with all of its Christmas decorations for the Grand Duke to look at. The Grand Duke liked the picture and hung it in his study in his castle in York for all to see.