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“Make them work for the candy.”

“Make them work for the candy.”

Although boo baskets have been around for a while, the trend has gained traction thanks to social media. This year, TikTok is full of videos of Halloween-themed containers filled with festive knick-knacks and candies for kids.

The idea came about when kids discreetly gave the gifts to a neighbor/friend/classmate in October as a fun holiday surprise, and it snowballed. Parents build them for their children like Easter baskets. Even grown adults have joined in on the trend, with one man posting on Reddit to complain about his girlfriend’s basket request.

But while the tradition is sweet in theory, some parents online have had enough. There are entire threads of evidence that they are rebelling against boo baskets.

“There are already costumes, trick-or-treating, fall festivals, hayrides, pumpkin carving, corn mazes, state fair…do we really need to add more?” wrote one anonymous parent, sparking discussion on social media. “Absolutely no hate if you like doing that for your kids, because I know I definitely do [over the top] in other areas. It just feels a bit much to me.”

This is not a unique stance. Countless people agreed with similar sentiments.

“Lol, I don’t. “I’m going to celebrate fall with my kids by getting them to make cider with us so they can be thankful that they live in modern society,” said one. “Careful, Veterans Day baskets are waiting for us next!” another joked. “Completely unnecessary consumerism,” a third person added.

“Make them work for this candy!” another person wrote.

“It’s not just you. “I’ve made it my personal goal going forward not to get caught up in this shit,” one person said. “Materialism is not what creates memories. My child will be happy without all this crap. I don’t want to teach him that he always needs or GETS things.”

Several users even argued that there is a complicated financial layer to the trend: The rule is that once a person receives a Boo basket, it is their job to surprise someone else with the gift.

“Okay, so I’m going to be Debbie Downer here. The person who breaks the chain because they can’t afford to reciprocate or don’t have time (or for other reasons) must feel like crap,” one person wrote.

Others defended the trend, calling it “cute,” “funny” and a “nice” idea. Some even thought it was an alternative or idea for younger children.

“I think this would be a nice idea for really young kids where you might not plan to take them trick-or-treating – or if it was just too cold (but that would be -40°C),” he said the parents said .

Megan Schaltegger is a New York-based author. She loves strong coffee, eating her way through the Manhattan food scene, and loves her dog Murray. She promises not to talk about herself in the third person IRL.