John Machen, Jr of Mobjack Nurseries in Virginia registered this cultivar in 1994. It is a tetraploid sport of H. 'White Christmas' that forms a large size (25 inches high by 63 inches wide) mound. The leaves are ovate shaped, slightly wavy and smooth textured. Pale lavender flowers are produced on 42 inch tall scapes from mid-July into August. It is sterile and, therefore, does not set seeds.

According to The Hostapedia by Mark Zilis (2009), "It is an impressive plant, perhaps one of the best white-centered hosta cultivars. It makes a much larger mound with taller scapes than 'White Christmas'..."

From the Field Guide to Hostas by Mark Zilis (2014), "As its mother plant, 'White Christmas', fades into oblivion, 'Night before Christmas' continues to increase in popularity. The reason is simple: one grows, and the other does not."

An article by Warren I. Pollock in The Hosta Journal (2006 Vol. 37 No. 2) says, "...'Christmas Candy'...a new hosta discovered by Gert van Eijk-Bos in tissue-culturing 'Night before Christmas'...at the Vitro Westland propagation laboratory in Rijswijk, Holland...How do 'Christmas Candy', 'Night before Christmas' and the old timer 'White Christmas' compare?...all three have pure white leaf centers and dark green leaf borders."

A summary of Pollock's comparisons of 'Christmas Candy' (CC), 'Night before Christmas' (NbC) and 'White Christmas' (WC) included:

   - Width of green margin: NbC - widest  CC - mid   WC - narrowest

   - Clump height: NbC - tallest  CC - mid  WC - shortest

   - Upright growth habit:  NbC and CC more upright than WC

    - Resistance to melting out (leaf substance): CC - thick substance may be a tetraploid - NbC somewhat resistant - WC often damaged