Back in October, we saw the rise of “Boo Baskets”: baskets filled with Halloween-themed stuff and gifts, intended to be made and bought by a guy to give to his girlfriend.
However, this Winter season, we’ve seen the explosion of “Burr Baskets”. Ignoring the fact that a “burr” is a kind of prickly seed pod that sticks to clothing and animal fur and is not the same thing as “brrr”, which is an exclamatory sound used to denote cold temperatures, the idea remains the same. It’s a basket full of things you don’t need.
“Eddie,” you might be saying. “You’re only acting so bitter about these because you haven’t gotten one!”
No. Well, you’re correct in your assumption that I haven’t received one, but that has less to do with any kind of resentment or jealousy and everything to do with my own personal views on overconsumption and living within my family’s means.
It’s just stuff. It’s stuff you don’t need. Why do you need a useless pillow that looks like a gingerbread man? How often are you using that for the other eleven months of the year?
So after tasking myself with the grueling and unnecessary project of proving my point, I decided to research each individual item in the first example of a “Burr Basket” that came up when I googled it.
Here’s where we get to my actual point: BHS readers, you don’t need this. Don’t try to passive-aggressively send your boyfriends TikToks of people showing off their Burr Baskets in the hopes that you might get one.
Overconsumption is at its worst right now. With billion-dollar companies making a profit on the fleeting interests of people online, countless items in perfect condition are being thrown out every day by people who no longer like that aesthetic. And in the current economy, very few people have the disposable income necessary to spend over $300 on junk. Don’t fall victim to the “Keeping up with the Joneses” effect; just because other people have something doesn’t mean you need it too.
Consider practical gifts. How about gifting your partner a date night with a basket of your guys’ favorite snacks and a movie you’ve both wanted to see? Or, if you really truly want a $50 candle for some reason, then just communicate that to your partner instead of passive-aggressively sending them videos of other people receiving them.
The mindset of “other people got these things, so why shouldn’t I?” is exactly what huge corporations want us to think. As silly or lame as it may sound, receiving a heartfelt card or handmade item is worth infinitely more than a basketful of products from some trendy makeup brand that’ll expire in six months.
