Halloween gifts and gift baskets are an integral part of Halloween celebrations. Unlike other gift-giving occasions however, Halloween gifts must be ghoulish and scary. Let’s take a quick look at why this is, and then go over a few simple ideas for making Halloween gift baskets that will be a great hit with the recipients.
Halloween gifts are on the macabre side because of Halloween’s origins as a pagan festival (known as Samhain). The ancient Celts believed that at this time of year the ghosts of the dead returned to haunt the living, and bring havoc in their wake, in the form of disease and damage to crops, houses etc.
The Celts retaliated by painting their faces with soot, giving them a ghoulish appearance designed to drive away the evil spirits, preventing them from causing harm. Later, the face paint was replaced by masks, which led to the modern custom of wearing Halloween masks (and make up) as part of the scary costumes that are donned at this time.
Thus Halloween’s original connection with the supernatural has led to its modern associations with all things ghostly and evil. Today, protected as we are by our technological sophistication and relative lack of superstitious beliefs, we find such things entertaining rather than genuinely frightening – and are thus amused to give and receive ghoulish gifts that would have been regarded with fear and suspicion in earlier times.
So, when putting together your Halloween basket, there are many items you can use to fill it with. As well as the traditional ‘evil entities’ such as goblins, ghosts, witches, werewolves, zombies and vampires etc, Halloween is also linked with particular animals, which have acquired a dubious reputation thanks to their scary appearances or past superstitions. These include bats, spiders, black cats, ravens, crows and owls. Scarecrows and creepy clowns are also regarded as fearsome symbols by many, and have become linked with Halloween too.
With these points in mind, try filling your Halloween gift baskets with items such as:
1. Halloween candies shaped like scary figures such as witches, ghosts etc. You could also include cookies or other baked goods in the form of pumpkins and other Halloween motifs.
2. A small book of spells, or instructions on how to carve a traditional a jack-o-lantern from a pumpkin
3. Halloween scrapbooks also make a nice personal gift – try including photos, personal notes and other items that are related both to Halloween and the recipient. This takes a bit more effort, but that special person is sure to appreciate it!
4. A Halloween-themed flashlight, such as one that is shaped like a pumpkin. These emit a spooky orange light and make great Halloween decorations in their own right
5. Adult recipients might appreciate toiletries, alcoholic drinks, cigars etc. These can be wrapped up in black, purple or orange paper to give them an additional Halloween feel
6. Kids might enjoy small Halloween toys, such as rubber spiders and the like, or a pack of Halloween stickers or other Halloween-themed stationery.
As you can see, it’s easy to put together Halloween gift baskets that don’t cost a lot, yet make great gifts for your loved ones!
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