Halloween Boo Baskets (or boo buckets or boo bags) are all the rage in the month of October! Have you heard of them? They’re a fun custom of sharing Halloween goodies with friends and neighbors by secretly leaving a basket of treats on their front porch. Once the giftee has been “Boo’d”, they pass on the fun by creating another Halloween Boo Basket and gifting it to another neighbor. It’s kind of like a Secret Santa, only scarier!
My kids were so excited the first time they received a surprise Halloween basket of treats at the door.
Part of the fun in the Boo Basket tradition is the mystery of the giver, but with most homes having front door surveillance these days, it might be hard to keep your identity a secret. Still it's worth a try!
Here’s how to create your own Boo Baskets full of gifts this month:
1. Find a festive basket, bucket, or bag to fill with treats.
2. Print out a “You’ve Been Boo’d” sign to tape to the front of the basket. This sign is also the instruction sheet, informing your giftee of how the "game" is played, and encouraging them to keep it going!
You’ll also print out a “We’ve Been Boo’d” sign for your giftee to make visible at their front door or front window. This notifies neighbors and friends that they've already received a "Boo" gift, which is useful to know if the whole neighborhood is participating.
If the Boo Basket recipient decides to treat someone else, they'll follow the instructions on sign #1 to make copies of both sheets before continuing the game.
CLICK HERE for a free printable designed by WoodlandsMommy.com. We tried making a printer-friendly 8.5" x 11" sign that's super cute but doesn't use too much ink. If this one isn't your style, you can find dozens of other free printables online, and the styles vary from gift tag to door hanger, etc.
3. Fill the basket with an assortment of Halloween treats for your recipients. Depending on how much mullah you want to spend, you can find premium items at World Market, basic items at Target dollar spot, or budget trinkets at dollar tree.
Boo Basket Ideas:
- Movie theater candy boxes and other sweet treats
- Bag of candy corn (a must!)
- Other Halloween-themed candy
- Halloween fun socks
- small toys
- Halloween coloring pages
- Halloween-themed storybooks
- Spider rings
- Mad lib booklets
- Cookies or other homemade treats
- Caramel popcorn
TIP: You don't have to do a gift basket for each family member. Load up on the goodies and drop one basket per household!
4. Secretly leave the basket on your neighbor’s front porch.
5. Relish in the thought that you've brightened someone's day!
Alternatives: If you’re putting together a Boo Basket for a grown-up consider more mature treats! Some people do a “Booze” basket and include alcoholic spirits and grown-up snacks.
Bring on the Halloween cheer, and start this fun Halloween tradition this year!
