‘Porch light will be off this year’: Parents are giving up as Trump tariffs just made Halloween unbelievably expensive

Halloween candy prices have soared to the point where some parents are flat-out refusing to participate. One mom on TikTok is simply declaring, “porch light will be off this year”. It’s a huge bummer for the spooky season, but when you look at the price tags, it’s hard to argue since it went so viral.

Most bags of Halloween candy sit between $19 and $25, so you can absolutely understand why people are giving up on the ghost, so to speak. This isn’t just the normal inflation we’ve been seeing in the grocery aisles; this is a whole new level of sticker shock. The cost of our favorite seasonal treats has become nearly impossible for an average family to swallow, especially when they’re trying to stock up for dozens of eager little trick-or-treaters.

If you’ve felt like prices have been getting scary over the last few years, you’re not wrong. The cost of candy and gum has been consistently rising, showing an increase of 7.5% from last year and a staggering 20% compared to 2021. An X user captured the general mood of frustration over inflated costs, writing, “I have probably cut about 25 percent of items from my groceries. I am paying more than I have ever paid before. It feels like basics are expensive luxuries now”. Ouch. That really puts into perspective how a non-essential like a $25 bag of fun-size candy becomes a luxury item.

Halloween is cancelled, folks

But here’s the real kicker this time around: the latest price spike is largely being blamed on new tariffs slapped on imported cocoa. Cocoa is obviously the key ingredient for chocolate, and the new rules under the previous administration placed tariffs of 10 to 25% on these imports, with the threat of them increasing to a whopping 35%. This isn’t just a minor administrative fee; it’s a massive expense that the chocolate makers have to deal with.

For instance, the giant candy company Hershey estimated it could face a colossal $100 million in tariff-related costs later in the year. You can bet that’s not coming out of the executive bonus pool. That cost is getting passed right down to us, the consumer, who just want to buy a fun-size Snickers.

Interestingly, this new trade policy created a kind of loophole for our neighbors up north and down south. Because of an existing agreement with the U.S. government, chocolate manufacturers in Canada and Mexico can still import cocoa completely tariff-free. This means they can produce their chocolate much cheaper than American competitors.

Canadian chocolate exports to the U.S. jumped by 10% in the first five months of the year. It sounds like they’re the only ones getting a major treat this Halloween. The reaction on social media has been, predictably, one of widespread sympathy for the TikTok mom’s decision. Her video, which simply had the text overlay “porch light will be off this year,” instantly connected with others who are struggling with general grocery costs.

Folks were quick to joke about the situation, with one TikToker commenting, “They gone have to do a trick for these treats”. It seems like people are looking for ways to cope with the unbelievable cost. Some commenters have suggested alternatives, like one person who pointed out that “Costco has better value, the bag is bigger. And it doesn’t necessarily have to be candy, it can also be chips cookies gummy bears and other individually packaged treats”.

Honestly, that’s a clever, budget-friendly move. Others are planning to hand out smaller amounts of treats or even completely skip the candy for things like stickers or toys. It’s okay if you just keep the lights off and watch some spooky shows this year.