is a Christmas mascot built on a kind of delicious deception. It looks so wholesome — a cheerful red-and-white curl of peppermint, practically jingling with innocence. It hangs from trees, fills ...

Along with Christmas tunes sneaking onto the airwaves between pop hits and gingerbread lattes featuring prominently on coffee shop menus, candy aisles filled with red-and-white striped sweets are a ...