Tips for Making Your Own Halloween Gift Basket

Gift baskets make excellent gift ideas for any occasion - this you probably already know. But many people don't think about Halloween-themed gift baskets to give in place of the same old candy. Of course, it could get quite expensive to just hand out gift baskets to every neighborhood kid who is dressed in a costume on Halloween. For them, a handful of candy is more than appropriate. Instead, the ideas here are meant to be used as gifts for children, grandchildren or even your friends and other family members.

If you get creative enough with it, you can put together a Halloween gift basket for nearly any member of your family, at relatively low cost. Empty wicker and straw baskets can be purchased any nearly any gift store or retail store, and there are any number of inexpensive Halloween decorations and party favors that you can pick up nearly anywhere during the Halloween season. For even better deals, try to do your shopping right after Halloween is over. Everything will be much cheaper, and you can save it for use next year.

Confetti, streamers and gift wrap make great basket stuffing and decorations. But for Halloween, you may want to consider stuffing the inside of the basket with fake cobwebs, or red confetti to simulate the look of curdled, drying blood. And black, blue, grey or purple confetti can all be used to achieve a more gothic style. Decorative spiders, bats and other critters can also be thrown in the basket to help achieve that spooky look. Small plastic bones and skulls also make good basket liners, too.

As for treats to fill your Halloween gift basket, the possibilities are endless. Candy eyeballs and other candy body parts can usually be found around Halloween, though kids will be happy with most any kind of candy. Caramel apples, candy bars (whether miniature-sized or whole) and bubble gum are common Halloween items. But for a healthier treat, you may want to include an apple or two in your gift basket, or some other kind of fruit.

Other great basket stuffers include small pumpkins, pumpkin carving kits, Halloween-themed CDs, books, movies or even costume masks. Glow sticks, bracelets, necklaces and even small flashlights are good ideas to add into a Halloween gift basket, too. Not only do kids love them, but something like this can help keep both your children and their friends safe while trick-or-treating at night, as well.