What are ‘boo baskets’? Pricey new Halloween trend puts money strain on cash-strapped parents

Boo baskets are a treat for kids — but they’re a trick for parents.

Exhausted moms and dads are slamming a new Halloween trend that requires them to gift a basket teeming with spooky season goodies to their offspring.

While the concept of a “boo basket” originated several years ago, it’s now become a hot Halloween phenomenon thanks to TikTok and other social media platforms.

One peeved parent took to Reddit to complain that Halloween had already become over the top, writing: “There’s already costumes, trick or treating, fall festivals, hay rides, pumpkin carving, corn mazes, state fair…do we really need to add more?”

“Absolutely no hate if you love doing this for your kids because I know I’m definitely [over the top] in other areas. It just feels a bit much for me.”

Many parents in the comments felt the same way.

“It’s not just you. I’ve made it a personal goal going forward to not get caught up in this shit. Materialism is not what makes memories,” one fumed. “My kid will be happy without all this crap. I don’t want to teach him he always needs or GETS stuff.”

“Everything is just about spending more damn money so we can post it on Instagram to say we did it,” another wrote.

“I personally think we can make moments memorable without buying all the crap that will get thrown away anyway. I’ll stick to my normal traditions and carve pumpkins and trick-or-treat like when I was a kid,” another parent proclaimed.

However, some said the new trend was difficult to get out of.

If you’re the recipient of a boo basket (described as “getting boo’d) you’re obliged to assemble your own gift basket to give to another person.

“The person who breaks the chain because they can’t afford to reciprocate or don’t have the time (or other reasons) must feel like crap,” someone noted.

This places both financial and time pressures on already stressed parents who are struggling to make ends meet amid rising costs.

“It sounds fun, sure, and I have nothing against spreading holiday cheer to other children, but in my mind, having to put together a boo basket is just another task to complete from my Halloween to-do list, which is already endless,” one mom wrote for Parents.com.

“Now, I’m heading over to the Dollar Store to try and create a boo bucket to compete with what my kids received that evening.”

However, not everyone hates the idea. One mom told Today.com that she’s bittersweet about the new tradition.

“I enjoy boo baskets because my kids have fun with them,” Rachel Zawada of Charlestown, Massachusetts, told the outlet as she was running errands for a school fall festival. “But it feels like one more thing in an ever-growing list of October to-dos.”

Chrissy Wade Roach of Penfield, New York, loves the tradition, telling Today that “Boo baskets are just one example of ways that communities come together. Plus, I love a good theme!”