Halloween

Boo Basket Ideas, Plus How to Send One to Australia

Easy boo basket ideas for everyone on your list, plus how to boo someone in Australia with a box packed in Sydney that never goes through customs.

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Hand holding a navy Same Skies gift box at night

The short answer

Boo Basket Ideas, Plus How to Send One to Australia

A boo basket is a Halloween gift: a basket, bucket or box of treats and small surprises, left on a doorstep or handed over before 31 October. Great boo basket ideas start with the person. Their favourite sweets, something cosy, one spooky touch and a note. And if your person lives in Australia, you can still boo them.

Most of this guide is for the boo basket you'll make for someone down the road: ideas by who it's for, budgets, how to put one together. Then there's the part nobody else writes, for anyone with a son, daughter, sister or best mate on the other side of the world. If that's you and you'd rather skip ahead, here's how to send a gift to Australia from the UK without a trip to the Post Office.

What is a boo basket?

It began as a neighbourhood game. You leave a basket of treats on a neighbour's step with a "You've been booed" note, they make one for the next house, and the booing works its way down the street. Then social media got hold of it, and now partners boo each other, parents boo their kids and grown adults boo their mates with an alarming level of commitment.

The only real rules: keep it a surprise, keep it personal, and don't let it turn into a second Christmas. A paper bag with three things they love beats a laundry basket of plastic tat from the bargain aisle.

Boo basket ideas by who it's for

For kids

Sweets, obviously, plus something to do. Glow sticks, stickers, a spooky picture book, a pumpkin carving kit, a torch for trick-or-treating and a costume bit (cat ears, a witch's hat, plastic fangs). For toddlers, skip small parts. If the kids aren't yours, ask the parents and go nut-free.

For your partner

Build it around a film night. A horror they've been meaning to watch (or a comedy, if they spent the last one behind a cushion), microwave popcorn, their chocolate of choice, a candle and a pair of fluffy socks, because it's October and the heating isn't on yet. Add one thing they'd never buy themselves.

For your best mate

Inside jokes earn their keep here. Their go-to crisps, a face mask for Sunday, the candle scent they always nick from your bathroom, an old photo of their worst ever costume. The more specific it is, the harder they'll laugh. Our gifts for best friends page has more ideas if you're stuck.

For Mum

Mums tend to get forgotten in boo season, which makes booing yours more fun. A nice tea or coffee, a good biscuit, a candle and a note that isn't about anything in particular. She'll pretend it's silly and keep the note.

For a colleague

Small and shareable. A mug with hot chocolate sachets, or a bag of wrapped sweets for their desk. Skip strong scents in a shared office.

For a student away at uni

Food they can't afford, a brew they actually like, a hot water bottle, and a reminder that someone at home is thinking of them. If you're posting it, check how their halls handle parcels first.

For the neighbours

The original. Wrapped treats, a "You've been booed" note telling them to pass it on, then run. Don't leave anything homemade for people who don't know you.

Boo basket ideas by budget

  • The quick one. A mug or a paper bag, three treats and a note. Honestly, this is enough for most people, and it's the one that gets passed on.
  • The proper basket. A bucket or basket, a few snacks, one keepsake (a candle, a book, a soft toy) and a bit of decoration. The sweet spot for partners and best mates.
  • The splurge. One genuinely good gift in the middle with the treats built around it: tickets to something, a nice bottle, a jumper they keep mentioning. If you go big, go personal, so it doesn't look like showing off.

To make a small budget look generous, spend a bit more on one hero item, keep the rest simple and pack it so the hero sits on top.

How to put one together

  • Pick a container they'll reuse: a bucket, a basket, a tote or a sturdy box. A mug works for a mini version.
  • Fill the bottom with tissue or shredded paper in black, orange or purple, so everything sits higher.
  • Hero item first, at the back or in the middle. Smaller treats around it.
  • Finish with a tag and a handwritten note. Two lines is plenty. It's the bit they'll keep.
Navy Same Skies gift box on a stone wall under a full moon with a pumpkin

Sending a boo basket to someone in Australia

Here's where the doorstep game falls apart. Your person is in Sydney or Perth or Brisbane, and you're in Leeds with a bag of sweets and nowhere to leave it. You've got three honest options.

1. Post it yourself

You can, but it's a different job from a boo basket down the road. Anything you post abroad needs a customs declaration, and Royal Mail's customs guidance asks for electronic customs details on goods sent overseas. Food sent to Australia has its own rules too, so read our guide on whether you can send food gifts to Australia before you pack any sweets. Our walkthrough of sending a parcel to Australia from the UK covers the rest. Ditch the actual basket, which crushes, and post early.

2. Order from a shop near them

An Australian bakery, florist or gift shop in their area can drop something round. Good for something fresh, harder to make personal.

3. Have a box packed in Australia

This is us. Same Skies doesn't make a Halloween product, but our boxes are navy with a moon logo, which does half the spooky work for you. You build one at our gift box builder: the Twilight Box holds six gifts and the Midnight Box holds eight. Lewis and Jess pack it by hand in Sydney and send it with Australia Post, so it's a domestic Australian delivery and your gift never goes through customs. Prices are shown in pounds as a guide; you pay in Australian dollars and your bank converts at checkout.

The Midnight Box, a build your own gift box with eight gifts
The Midnight Box: eight gifts you choose. Build yours.

What to put in a boo basket for someone in Australia

One thing catches people out. Halloween in Australia falls in spring: the Bureau of Meteorology counts spring as September to November. So while you're digging out the fluffy socks, they might be heading to the beach after work. Flip the cosy formula. Lighter, brighter, less hot chocolate. There's more on that in our family guide to Halloween in Australia.

From our range, these suit a boo box:

  • The Hand-Poured Soy Candle in Moonlit Santal, which sounds like it was named for 31 October.
  • A Crochet Comfort Companion. You choose the character: avocado, pear, pickle, potato, duck or axolotl. The axolotl is the nearest thing we've got to a monster.
  • A Cabana Beach Towel. Putting a beach towel in a Halloween gift feels faintly illegal from a British October, which is exactly why it's funny.
  • Honeycomb Chocolate Thins and Candy Kittens Strawberry sweets for the treat half of trick or treat.
  • The A3 Matte Art Print in the UK to Australia Map design. It's unframed, so it suits someone with a bit of wall space.

Then there's the card. Your words live behind a QR code on a premium card inside the box, and you can add a message, a photo or a video. Film yourself in your costume shouting "boo", or send a photo of the pumpkin you carved in the drizzle. They point their phone camera at the card and it plays on their screen. Photos and videos replay for around six months, so they can watch you be daft more than once.

You can't leave it on their doorstep. You can still make them jump.

When will it arrive?

We pack boxes Monday to Friday. After dispatch, Australia Post usually takes about 2 business days within Sydney, 3 to Melbourne or Brisbane, 4 to Adelaide, 5 to Perth or Hobart and 6 to Darwin. Regional and remote addresses can take longer. Tracking is emailed to you, and delivery is free on every box.

We won't promise it arrives by Halloween. Australia Post delivery days are estimates, not promises, and we'd rather be straight with you. A boo basket that lands in the first week of November still lands, though, and arguably it's funnier. Spooky season is a mood, not a deadline. If you'd like to time a video call for the unboxing, just remember they're a long way ahead of you, so their evening is your morning.

Boo basket mistakes to skip

  • Too much stuff. Five good things beat twenty random ones.
  • Strong scents for someone you don't know well.
  • Nuts in a kids' basket, unless you've checked.
  • Horror themes for the person who still sleeps with the landing light on.
  • Posting fresh or homemade food to Australia. Check the rules first.

Keep reading

Build your own

Start with an empty box. Fill it with them.

The real builder, exactly as you'll see it.

Choose every piece from the UK, pick a print that feels like them, then add your letter with a photo or video behind the QR card. We hand-pack it in Sydney and deliver it in Australia.

  • You choose every piece, and the print on the lid
  • Your letter, plus a free photo or video behind the QR card
  • Built from the UK, hand-packed in Sydney, delivered in Australia only
Build your own Or choose one of our five boxes

Questions people ask

What is a boo basket?

A boo basket is a Halloween gift: a basket, bucket or box of treats and small surprises, left on a doorstep or handed over before 31 October. It began as a neighbourhood game where whoever gets "booed" makes one for the next house.

What do you put in a boo basket?

Their favourite sweets or crisps, one thing they will keep, like a candle, a mug or a book, a spooky touch and a handwritten note. Build it around the person rather than a shopping list.

Can you send a boo basket to Australia from the UK?

Yes. You can post one yourself with a customs declaration, order from a shop near them, or build a box that is packed in Sydney and delivered by Australia Post. A box packed in Australia is a domestic delivery, so your gift never goes through customs.

Can I post sweets to Australia in a boo basket?

Food sent to Australia has its own rules, so check before you post anything edible. Our guide to sending food gifts to Australia covers what to look out for.

Will a boo basket arrive in Australia by Halloween?

We do not promise Halloween delivery. Boxes are usually delivered 2 to 5 business days after dispatch to most Australian addresses, and regional areas can take longer. A boo basket that lands in early November still counts.

Booing someone in Australia?

Choose six or eight gifts, record a video for the QR card, and we'll pack it in Sydney and post it to their door.

Build a box

Keep reading