Spooky Basket

Everything you need to know about a spooky basket and plenty of spooky basket ideas to make one this Halloween season!

What is a Spooky Basket?

A spooky basket is a fun Halloween tradition gifting a fun basket with Halloween-related items to celebrate the month of October.

A spooky basket essentially borrows the concept of an Easter basket and turns it into all things Halloween. Instead of spring goodies, a Spooky basket celebrates all things Halloween with some fun gifts and treats wrapped up in a Halloween gift basket. They are sometimes called boo baskets, a boo bag, Halloween care packages, Halloween box, or October box.

They’re all the same concept. DIY a cute basket with fun seasonal items to celebrate Halloween and make it feel a bit more fun earlier in the season.

Who should I give a spooky basket?

Much like an Easter basket, there are no set rules! Most people give them to their kids with new trick-or-treat buckets as the base. People love to ship them as a basket of goodies to loved ones far away. And many use it as a great excuse to utilize the gifts’ love language for their boyfriend or girlfriend, husband or wife.
These are also fun to make for teachers, roommates, nieces and nephews, or to donate to big brother/big sister programs.

What should go in a spooky basket?

There isn’t a set of rules anyone has to follow. Add anything you think the recipient will love! But if you’re looking for specific ideas of what to put in a spooky basket, here’s a roundup of fun things.

Spooky Basket Ideas

A Trick or Treat Bucket
These are often the base for the spooky basket. They are cheap and useful, and they make a really cute base!
Halloween Toys
I love to find a few cute cheap items in the Target Bullseye Spot or their Hyde and Eek section.
Halloween Headbands or Barrettes
If they have enough hair to hold a headband or barrette, snack a cute cat ears headband or something like these cute skeleton hand barrettes.
Fuzzy Socks
Kids and adults alike love a cute pair of fuzzy socks to keep feet warm on cooler nights. They’re even better with Halloween pictures or funny Halloween puns.
Halloween Shirt
Whether you get a cute graphic tee, go for couples Halloween shirts, grab Halloween shirts for kids, or maybe get something fun for a movie night (like a Hocus Pocus shirt), t-shirts work fantastic in a spooky basket!
Halloween Pajamas
We love seasonal pajamas, and there are few things cuter than family Halloween pajamas or couples’ Halloween pajamas!
A Flashlight
These are so useful on Halloween night! Find one that compliments a kid’s Halloween costume so they’re excited to use it!
Glow Sticks/Glow Necklaces
Hello, another great option to help light up trick or treating. They’re inexpensive to find and make a great filler for a spooky basket!
Sticker Book
We love a good paint-by-sticker book and this Paint-By-Sticker Halloween book with fun spooky-themed stickers that glow in the dark! Create cute Halloween scenes like mummies and black cats by matching up stickers with their coordinating numbers. The result makes a fun mosaic picture with cute spooky details.
A New Halloween Book
If you need some ideas, here are our favorite Halloween books for kids.
Halloween Candy
One may argue kids will get enough of this, but they often don’t until the end of the season. I mean some early chocolate peanut butter pumpkins or ghosts are always fun. And for your significant other or friend groups, Halloween candy is something they likely will only receive if they buy it themselves.

Movie Night
I mean I may be biased as a date night blogger, but I think the best spooky basket ideas include gifting a date night! Add in some scary movies and candy and gift a Halloween theme movie night date. Grab a few Halloween movies and include them for a nice touch in a girlfriend or boyfriend’s spooky basket.
Be sure to check out this movie night gift basket for more inspiration!
Blanket
You’re going to need to snuggle up during those scary movies, so you might as well include a great snuggling blanket! It’s even better if it’s Halloween-themed or an orange blanket.
Popcorn Popper
We adore this silicone popcorn popper for easy, quick popcorn at home. It’s inexpensive, and you’ll love the fresh taste and ability to add butter without the extra cost at a movie theater! You may even want to gift the ingredients to our Halloween popcorn recipe to make before a movie night.
Gourmet Popcorn Set
This set is so much fun to have for movie nights. Plus, Halloween movie night gets an upgrade with all the flavor varieties. It makes movie night feel even more special!
Halloween Waffle Iron
Most people can’t get enough of the tiny festive-shaped waffle irons. Look for a Halloween-themed waffle iron in the shape of a pumpkin, skulls, spider webs, and even a witch hat! Gifting one sets you up for a lot of delicious pumpkin waffles throughout the season.
Pumpkin Waffle Mix
I know there are personal preferences for and against pumpkin flavor. But if you have a loved one who loves pumpkin, I’d include the ability to create a pumpkin waffle brunch in the future.
Pumpkin Cookie Mix
You can throw this together yourself in cookie jars, or buy a quick mix from the grocery store.
Apple Cider
Apple cider and fall go hand-in-hand. It also makes a great gift to kick off October!
Pumpkin Spice Coffee or Tea
These are seasonal favorites many adults would love to see in their Halloween baskets!
A Starbucks Gift Card
Warning, it’s about to get really basic up in here! But a pumpkin spice latte or vanilla bean frappuccino (for the non-coffee drinkers) are seasonal favorites with a cultic following for a reason. Let your loved ones treat themself with a gift card!
Gourmet Chocolate Bars
Okay, basic chocolate bars are fine too. But there are a lot of seasonal tasty treats that pop up this time of year. Check out the gourmet chocolate bar sections at Trader Joe’s or your favorite grocery store.
Bath and Body Works Halloween Soap Scents
I’m a sucker for the Ghoulfriend scented hand soap, and my children love the red Vampire’s Blood soaps and bath bombs. They make a very practical and useful filler!

FAQs

How do you make a spooky basket?

Start by choosing a basket base. A trick-or-treat pail is always a good option. We also love using these soft baskets if we’re gifting bigger items.

Start by arranging the taller items in the back, and adding each piece of your items to put in a spooky basket one at a time. Arrange them so you can see everything the best you can!

Tip: If you need some more dimension, a kitchen towel works really well to help prop up items in the back. And bonus, you can even make it a Halloween towel as part of the gift.

Many people love to fill in spaces with candy corn and use it as an anchor for items added to the boo basket.

If you want to see some more examples, be sure to check out our posts with previous year’s Halloween baskets.

Halloween Box

October Box

When should you give a spooky basket?

That’s entirely up to you! The most popular time is to gift it on the first day of October. That way there’s an entire month to celebrate and use the items. I love to gift ours in September just as soon as I have them assembled. That gives us more time to wear our family Halloween pajamas and read our new Halloween books.