Homecoming mums - do you know what I am talking about?

[Hoggirl]

Ds's school is having its basketball homecoming tomorrow night. We had parent/teacher conferences today, and I stopped by the GC's office to ask her if she was going to the game tomorrow night. I jokingly asked her if she was going to wear a big ol' mum. She had NO IDEA what I was talking about!!! I explained that these were really worn for football homecoming, but it wasn't registering at all. She had never heard of such a thing. So, I explained that for football homecoming girls wore corsages made out of these giant (like as big as your head) mums with pipe cleaners on them with the school's letters - "PHS." Come to think of it, I have NO idea how those pipe cleaners were affixed. Anyway, they also had gobs of ribbons hanging down from them with little football charms tied on the ends. She finally said, "Is this a Southern thing?" She grew up in California. I told her I had never really thought about it. So, I'm wondering if it is/was just a Southern thing.

 

I came home and googled "homecoming mum images" and sent her some pics so now she is properly "edumacated" about homecoming mums.

 

So, what I want to know is - have you ever heard of this before? Are you Southern? Do they have homecoming mums in the north? Did you ever wear one of these giant mums? Do florists in your town still make them?

 

I wish I was smart enough to attach an image, but I am a techno-idiot.

[scrappyhappymama]

I live in Texas and so I know exactly what you are talking about. However, I grew up in CA and never heard of such a thing until I moved here as an adult.

[serene]

I'm in Florida, and we did them for football homecoming at my high school in the mid '80s. It was a fundraiser for one of the school's clubs, I think.

[Chelle in MO]

I know *exactly* what you're talking about, and I wore many a giant mum corsage back in the day. I grew up here in MO. I'm not sure if florists still make them.

 

Ahhhh...the memories!

[maddykate]

I grew up in the south and totally get what you are talking about. We had to order our mums in advance and the bigger the mum, the better. Oh, what memories!

[TechWife]

Born, raised & live in the south. I've never heard of them.

[mom2scouts]

I'm from Ohio. I know exactly what you're talking about.

[Dmmetler]

My high school in VA didn't do them, but my college in NM did.

[PinkInTheBlue]

I went to high school in the south and I know exactly what you are talking about. :)

[KnitWit]

Yep. Know exactly what you mean. :)

[Joker]

I'm from Texas and it was a contest every year to see who had the biggest for homecoming. It was a very big deal and every girl had them from K through 12th.

[Hannah C.]

Mums were big at my high school in TX not too long ago. I never had one, though - but one of my sisters had 2 her senior year.

[dangermom]

I've lived in CA my whole life, and have no idea what you're talking about.

 

 

[after finding images] Great googly-moogly. :blink:

Edited February 10, 2012 by dangermom

[dirty ethel rackham]

I saw something about it on TV. Must be a southern thing. The biggest mum was on the homecoming court in college. It was the size of a grapefruit and had a pipe-cleaner "I" in the middle of it (school initial.) No big ribbons or anything. For the university, homecoming court was not a "barbie" contest, but an achievement kind of thing. The movers and shakers on campus were nominated. They wore business suits during half-time - but this was in the "Dress for Success" heyday.

[MindyD]

Born and raised in SC, and I've never heard of these before either. :001_huh:

[DianeW88]

Born and raised in Delaware, and no. Never heard of them.

[SJ.]

I'm from Ohio and never heard of it, had to google it and WOW!!!! :lol::lol::lol:

 

Those are very, um, interesting :D

 

Seriously though, they sound fun. According to my google search it is mostly a TX thing.

[tex-mex]

I grew up in CA and never heard of this tradition until recently upon moving to TX. And I have friends whose teens in public schools go nutty with Homecoming Mums!

 

http://thestylesisters.blogspot.com/2008/10/texas-homecoming-mums.html

 

I think it is a southern thing? :D

[oldskool]

Grew up in Wisconsin and never heard of this.

[tex-mex]

I grew up in the south and totally get what you are talking about. We had to order our mums in advance and the bigger the mum, the better. Oh, what memories!

Our local supermarkets have custom mums in school colors in stock weeks before the homecoming game.

 

My friend makes her own and recycles old ones from the previous year (she has 7 kids) -- rather than spending $150 per mum for her teen dds. One of her dds had a theme for drama with neat decorations... but it was heavy!!

[Guest Katia]

Instead of a regional thing, I'm thinking it must be a more back-in-the-day thing.

 

I grew up in northeast Ohio. Yes, I know exactly what you are talking about. Football homecoming was full of mums, complete with ribbons, letters and the little football. :001_smile:

 

Another poster from Ohio said she had no idea what you were talking about.

 

So, that makes me think that she is much, much younger than I am, and that the custom no longer exists.

 

I went to high school in the 1970s....and I know the tradition of mums was popular in the 1960s and 50s because of family. Maybe it died off sometime in the 80s??

 

Thanks for the memories.......:D

[mom2samlibby]

From Nebraska and have never seen one. I have heard about them from another message board though in the past couple of years.

[VeteranMom]

I had never heard of homecoming mums until I moved to Texas. I grew up in ND.

[ThatCyndiGirl]

Grew up in Illinois and I've never heard of such a thing.

[scrappyhappymama]

Instead of a regional thing, I'm thinking it must be a more back-in-the-day thing.

 

I grew up in northeast Ohio. Yes, I know exactly what you are talking about. Football homecoming was full of mums, complete with ribbons, letters and the little football. :001_smile:

 

Another poster from Ohio said she had no idea what you were talking about.

 

So, that makes me think that she is much, much younger than I am, and that the custom no longer exists.

 

I went to high school in the 1970s....and I know the tradition of mums was popular in the 1960s and 50s because of family. Maybe it died off sometime in the 80s??

 

Thanks for the memories.......:D

 

Maybe in Ohio. But it's alive and well here in TX. Grocery stores and Michaels are FULL of them every fall.

[SJ.]

Instead of a regional thing, I'm thinking it must be a more back-in-the-day thing.

 

I grew up in northeast Ohio. Yes, I know exactly what you are talking about. Football homecoming was full of mums, complete with ribbons, letters and the little football. :001_smile:

 

Another poster from Ohio said she had no idea what you were talking about.

 

So, that makes me think that she is much, much younger than I am, and that the custom no longer exists.

 

I went to high school in the 1970s....and I know the tradition of mums was popular in the 1960s and 50s because of family. Maybe it died off sometime in the 80s??

 

Thanks for the memories.......:D

 

I am from NE Ohio too, but I was in high school in the mid 90s. Never heard of the mums. You must be right.

[fhjmom]

I am from Texas (born and raised here); so yes, I am very familiar with mums! They have changed over the years though. When I was in high school, real, fresh flower mums were ordered from the florists. You definitely had to order early because they would sometimes stop taking orders. Guys word boutineers that were like "mini-mums" made with carnations.

 

Nowadays, mothers of the boys are often expected to make the mums for their sons' dates and places like Michael's, Hobby Lobby, etc. will have plenty of mum-making supplies starting mid-summer. The girls make the boutineers for the guys, but now they are most likely worn on a garter on the guy's arm instead of pinned to a shirt. Silk flowers have mostly replaced fresh, although I have heard rumors of fresh mums making a comeback. While school colors have always been the norm, all white/silver mums have become a tradition for seniors only at many schools.

 

Yeah, mums are a big deal here. :tongue_smilie:

[*Lulu*]

Born and raised in Louisiana. They are alive and well here, and have been ever since I can remember.

[Murphy101]

I haven't.

 

But I've never been to a football or basketball game in my life, much less a home coming game.

[Remudamom]

Grew up in Alabama. I know what you're talking about.

[Kirch]

No homecoming mums in PA where I grew up. I had never heard of them until we moved to TX. I might have missed it where I went to college in AR, but I don't *think* they had them there either. I've seen some doozies here in TX, though!

[Riverland]

This is the first I have ever heard of basketball homecoming??? Did I read that right?

 

At least at our local high school, mums are no more. Girls now wear a simple flower wristlet purchased at the florist or the floral design class at high school.

[Shellers]

I graduated high school in Northern California, and I never heard of these mums before.

[Pamela H in Texas]

I grew up in Katy, Tx, one of the greats of Texas football. I had great mums.My mom and I made mine. I went way overboard. But isn't that the point? :) This is similar to the one I had Jr. year (went to my boyfriend's homecoming at another Katy school, hence the green rather than red and teddy bears rather than a tiger):

Edited February 10, 2012 by 2J5M9K

[Hoggirl]

Washington state, '80s. Our mums weren't near as big as the OP, but yes we wore them for homecoming. However, this is the first I have ever hear of basketball homecoming??? Did I read that right?

 

At least at our local high school, mums are no more. Girls now wear a simple flower wristlet purchased at the florist or the floral design class at high school.

 

Ds's math/science charter doesn't have a football team, so they are doing homecoming in conjunction with a b-ball game. However, most schools here do homecoming for football and "colors day" for basketball. There is a colors day queen just like there is a homecoming queen.

[Mommyfaithe]

I do think it is a southern thing. My df showed me one of those for her ds's GF. It was pretty....

[angela in ohio]

We still did mums in the late 80s/early 90s when I was in high school in west-central Ohio.

 

In fact, you could also buy smaller mums from the student council fundraiser, and they would be sent to your friends during lunch with your note attached.

[elegantlion]

Well I thought you'd gone British there for a moment. :lol:

 

I grew up in MO and have no idea what you're talking about. It's entirely possible they did them at our school and I never paid attention.

[Teachin'Mine]

Sounds like fun! But if you had asked me if I was going to wear a big ol' mum, I'd have looked like this :001_huh:.

[In the Rain]

I've lived around the country, and had never seen them other than in Texas.

[Chris in VA]

Grew up in NE OH and yes, we had them. We also had them in Florida and Texas. I'm not sure they have them here in this part of VA.

[Parrothead]

Lived and schooled in NJ, NY, SC and GA and never heard of it.

[Hoggirl]

Sounds like fun! But if you had asked me if I was going to wear a big ol' mum' date=' I'd have looked like this :001_huh:.[/quote']

 

That's how my friend the GC looked, too.

[Jan in SC]

Born and raised in SC, and I've never heard of these before either. :001_huh:

 

:iagree:

[abbeyej]

I'm from the South and this sounds *vaguely* familiar, like *maybe* I heard of it once before. lol. I suppose my being oblivious to high school traditions and football would be a surprise to no one though.

[Mona100]

I have lived in Alabama all of my life. I graduated high school in '95. I remember the homecoming court having flowers that were white with the homecoming queen having the biggest flower and a small tiara. I guess those flowers were mums. But I do know they definitely had flowers and I had a good idea what you were talking about OP.

[Night Elf]

I live in Georgia. I think my school did. I was never involved in homecoming but I vaguely recall pictures of the "court" with those corsages on.

 

When I hear the word 'homecoming' the first thing "I" think about are those stupid kleenex flowers!! Nearly everyone got roped into making those things. It was insane and I hated it, but I couldn't let my friends down.

[SailorMom]

Raised in CA - never heard of it!

[scrapbookbuzz]

I grew up in Illinois and we had homecoming mums. (Although, on a side note, it's been so long since high school that, when I read your post title, I thought you were talking about Homecoming MOMS! :lol: )

 

Ours didn't have the letters of the high school but they did have ribbons attached. I used to buy myself one each year in high school because I thought they were so beautiful.

[DusksAngel]

Born and raised in southern MO, and I've never heard of them before.