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.

The author says that her kids already have too much stuff and so she avoids giving them a basket full of toys on Halloween.

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 also a growing trend for “Boo Baskets,” where parents give kids Halloween-themed gifts and trinkets. These can contain anything from little items 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, it would bring unnecessary things 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 these 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 of their birthdays and Christmas in the coming months, I already know we’re going to be inundated with new things that we don’t particularly need.

Doing a Boo Basket would mean that 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, like a new bathing suit for summer, versus seasonally themed tchotchkes like I’ve seen in most Boo Baskets on social media.

But I also don’t want my kids to think that holidays are just about getting presents. I don’t want to purposely 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 and want my girls to be able to look back on their childhood and reminisce about things that we did every year to celebrate various holidays. In order for something to be a tradition, though, it needs to be repeated consistently, and I want to be mindful of what those things are and what they cost.

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

Things like going on a spooky walk to see all of the decorations in the neighborhood, always 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 each year. If I were to put together Halloween presents one year, I’d worry that I’d feel trapped into continuing each year.

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