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I refuse to do 'boo baskets' for my kids. They already have too much stuff, and I don't want to be trapped doing it yearly.

Bucket shaped like a pumpkin that's full of candy.
The author says her kids already have too much stuff, so she avoids giving them a basket of toys on Halloween. FluxFactory/Getty Images
  • "Boo baskets" are Halloween-themed presents that some parents give their kids
  • As a parent, I don't want to bring meaningless stuff into our house.
  • I want to be thoughtful about what traditions I start with my kids since it's hard to stop them.

It feels like Halloween has become a monthlong affair and an ever-growing expense and burden for parents.

There are many ways to celebrate and spend money on the holiday, including trunk-or-treats, pumpkin patches, corn mazes, school parties and costume parades, and actual trick-or-treating. Between costumes, candy, events, and decorations, overall spending on the holiday is expected to top $12 billion this year, and many Americans spend as much money decorating their houses for Halloween as they do for Christmas.

On top of that, there's a growing trend of parents giving kids "boo baskets" full of Halloween-themed gifts and trinkets. They can include less-expensive treats like candy, themed books, and stuffed animals to bigger-ticket items like clothes, pajamas, or blankets.

It's too much. As a parent to two young girls, I refuse to hop on the boo-basket bandwagon. Not only is it an additional stressor during the busiest season of the year, but we don't need to bring more unnecessary stuff into our house. I also want to be intentional about what traditions I start with my kids, and I don't want to be in a position where I feel like I have to continue putting together themed baskets.

I'm actively trying to reduce the amount of stuff in our house, not add to it

My kids already have too much stuff, and I regularly donate, toss, or try to sell things on Facebook Marketplace to try to clear out clutter. With both their birthdays and Christmas in the coming months, I already know we're going to be inundated with new things we don't particularly need.

Doing a boo basket would mean I'd deliberately be adding more knickknacks into the mix, which is not something I want to do. If I were to do a boo basket, I could use a similar strategy that I use for the Easter Bunny, where I focus on things that my kids actually need, such as a new bathing suit for summer instead of the seasonally themed tchotchkes I've seen in most boo baskets on social media.

I also don't want my kids to think holidays are just about getting presents. I don't want to add putting together boo baskets to my mental load when Halloween already has built-in presents through the candy kids get trick-or-treating.

I want to be intentional about the traditions I'm creating

I want to create lasting traditions so that my girls can look back on their childhoods and reminisce about the things we did every year to celebrate various holidays. For something to be a tradition, it needs to be repeated consistently, and I want to be mindful of what those things are and what they cost.

While I want to create magic for them, I don't think that means I need to spend a ton of money.

Going on a spooky walk to see all the decorations in the neighborhood, counting and sorting Halloween candy together, or picking up pumpkins from the farmers market and carving them as a family are traditions that will be just as meaningful as spending money on a boo basket every year. If I were to put together Halloween presents one year, I worry I'd feel trapped into continuing each year.

Every family is different, and for some, boo baskets are a staple Halloween tradition that brings both moms and kids a lot of joy. For me, though, it's not something we'll ever do.

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