Question: I'm trying to style a [Highcharts Label](http://api.highcharts.com/highcharts#labels). One of the options is `style: CSSObject` but as with many Highcharts CSSObjects, it doesn't actually want css. It chokes completely on `background-color:` and I can't seem to find a syntax that does work. 

```
labels: {
            items: [{
                html: "<p>Box of text. But how do I set the Background Color?</p>",
                style: {
                    left: '60px',
                    top: '20px',
                    width: '250px',
                    fontSize: '10px',
                    backgroundColor: '#fffdcc'
                }
            }]
        },

```

How do I set the background color?
[Fiddle](http://jsfiddle.net/amandabee/9gyyW/1/)

Answer: 
I don't think that this is possible in the highcharts API. I suggest you just add your own html elements to the chart e.g.

```
<div id="addText" style="position:absolute; left:0px; top:0px;"></div>

var textX = 200;
var textY = 80;
var span = '<span id="labelText" style="position:absolute; text-align:center;width:150px;background-color:red">';
span += '<span style="font-size: 14px">Box of text with the background set.</span><br>';
span += '</span>';

$("#addText").append(span);
span = $('#labelText');
span.css('left', textX + (span.width() * -0.5));
span.css('top', textY + (span.height() * -0.5));

```

<http://jsfiddle.net/gGegL/>

Obvously, being standad html/css, you can style the text however you want.
Unfortunatel it is not possible, because labels objects are translated to SVG elements, which don't include your styles like background. You can use workaround and add text by renderer and background by rect(). 

```
var point = chart.series[0].data[8];

    var text = chart.renderer.text(
            'Max', 
            point.plotX + chart.plotLeft + 10, 
            point.plotY + chart.plotTop - 10
        ).attr({
            zIndex: 5
        }).add();

    var box = text.getBBox();
    chart.renderer.rect(box.x - 5, box.y - 5, box.width + 10, box.height + 10, 5)
        .attr({
            fill: '#FFFFEF',
            stroke: 'gray',
            'stroke-width': 1,
            zIndex: 4
        })
        .add();

```

Example <http://jsfiddle.net/PT769/>