What is a homecoming mum in Texas?

In my book, Mumentous: Original Photos and Mostly-True Stories about Football, Glue Guns, Moms, and a Supersized High School Tradition that was Born Deep in the Heart of Texas, I’ve dedicated a couple of chapters to the evolution of the high school homecoming mum tradition. Many people are surprised to find out that homecoming mums can be traced back over one hundred years ago to the dawn of college and high school football programs. They’re also surprised to learn that back in the day, homecoming mums were not unique to Texas but could be found in every state that had strong high school and/or college football programs.

But if you’re new to Texas traditions, and you’re trying to figure out what a homecoming mum is all about, it might be easier to start with what mums are today before we travel back in time.

Please note that I have permission to share the following photos, which I first posted with permission on @txhocomum Facebook and Instagram.

What is a mum?

While the specifics of the tradition do vary by high school, generally speaking, homecoming mums in Texas are worn by students to certain homecoming activities including (but not limited to) a parade, pep rally, football game, and even to class on homecoming day. Sometimes these activities are all on the same day, but more often they are not. In Texas, the homecoming game refers to a football match-up played on Friday night, although for schools without a football program, their sport of choice may be basketball or another athletic activity.

*A homecoming mum and homecoming garter mum adorn two Texas high school sophomores. Their mums reflect their school colors, which are green and white.*

This photo shows the two basic kinds of homecoming mums in Texas. The girl is wearing a “mum” and the boy is wearing a “garter,” which is short for “garter mum.” Mums are almost always worn on the front of the body. Garters are almost always worn on the arm.

The word “mum” comes from the kind of flower that traditionally anchors the entire arrangement. “Mum” is short for “chrysanthemum.” See those white flowers that anchor the rest of the arrangement? They are artificial chrysanthemums.

It’s hard to talk about chrysanthemums without going back to the history of homecoming mums in Texas and the United States. So I’ve written another blog post about chrysanthemums >

Even though there are many more elements that make up a homecoming mum than just the artificial chrysanthemum flower (or flowers), the entire thing is referred to as a “mum” or a “garter”.

Typically, mums are worn by girls and garters are worn by boys, although this is a convention and not a rule… just as everything else that has to do with how the homecoming mum tradition is practiced in Texas today.

The way a particular mum or garter looks is driven by the taste of the individual student who is either wearing it or giving it as a gift, traditions and expectations within that student’s high school, influence from family members, opinions of friends, budget, and the availability of mum supplies for DIY mum-making and/or professional mum makers in the community.

How to make a homecoming mum is another topic. Stay tuned for a future blog post about that.

What other materials make up a homecoming mum in Texas?

*Two underclassmen and their mums. You can tell that these students attend different high schools because the ribbon colors are different in his garter and her mum.*

Besides the one or more flowers anchoring the arrangement, a homecoming mum in Texas is made up of a variety of other materials.

Homecoming mum ribbons

Ribbons are the most common material that give a mum movement, color, texture, and depth. One set of ribbons typically surround the artificial flower (or flowers), creating a halo or wreath effect. A second set of ribbons are arranged so that they stream or waterfall down from the floral center to at least knee length. On a garter, the streaming ribbons are much shorter.

The ribbons themselves provide opportunities for reflecting creativity and individuality. In addition to a single color, ribbons are available in a wide variety of stamped or “dye subbed” patterns.

Looping and braiding ribbons are very popular ways to further enhance the look of homecoming mum ribbons as they cascade. Some braids are fairly simple while others are complex. People who make mums professionally are particularly adept at braiding, sometimes even gaining notoriety (and customers) from the unique braiding styles they offer.

An almost universal method of personalization is for the student to add their name to a ribbon within their homecoming mum. If the student has been asked to homecoming by another student, they typically incorporate their date’s name into their mum design as well.

Mum makers are another topic. Stay tuned for a future blog post about them.

In addition to ribbons, some students incorporate other ribbon-like materials that add depth and variety to the cascade. These materials can include feather boas, plastic beads, garland, and much more.

I’ve taken some photos of a few styles of looped and braided ribbons, as well as an action shot of mum ribbons as they’re being stapled into place:

In case you’re wondering, my photography is in black and white so you can focus on everything except the school colors. In my book Mumentous, I talk about why that matters.

At most schools, there are unwritten conventions about underclass vs. senior mums. Generally speaking, senior mums are the biggest, most charismatic, and most open to the interpretation of the wearer. Freshman mums are the smallest (single mum), sophomore mums are a little bigger (single or double mum, depending on the school), and junior mums are a little bigger still (double or triple mum), and all three tend to stick closely to the school color palette and other long-held norms.

Essentially, that’s it. If you have a flower that is embellished with a spirited array of ribbons, you have yourself a homecoming mum. Embellishments beyond that is all about Texas swagger, personal taste, and individual style.

Homecoming mum trinkets

Homecoming mum trinkets have been around for decades. They’re small decorative charms or tokens, usually made of plastic, that add personalization to the mum. Trinkets come in a variety of colors and are formed into miniature sports equipment, spirit slogans, megaphones, mascots, musical instruments, graduation year charms, hats, boots, and much more.

In addition to pre-fab trinkets, some students weave other small mementoes into their mums, including soap bubble wands, bags of candy, princess carriages and crowns, enamel pins, framed photographs, mp3 players, and more.

Homecoming mum bells

Mums are not only three-dimensional, they have an audio component: bells! From tiny bells to sleigh bells to cow bells, Texas homecoming mums are made to be worn AND heard.

The first time I tried on a mum, I was surprised by how much noise it made when I walked. It adds to the cheekiness of the mum-wearing experience. It also has the added bonus of driving teachers crazy.

Homecoming mum teddy bears

Imagine my surprise when in 2023, New York Times reporter Rachel Sherman reached out to me about a story she was writing about homecoming mums in Texas. She needed a subject matter expert about the evolution of homecoming mums in Texas. She also wanted to get to the bottom of why teddy bears are a thing.

It’s hard to talk about why homecoming mums in Texas are the way they are today without looking back at their history. A customized teddy bear perched in the center of the flower is one of those significant evolutionary steps.

“Teddy bears happened during the jump from real to artificial flowers,” Rachel’s article quoted me as saying. “The teddy bear became a way to further customize your mum, in a way that personifies you.”

*Teddy bear options,* *JJ Pearce High School The Mum Store*

Do all mums look alike?

No! And yes.

The variation in today’s homecoming mums in Texas has reached extraordinary heights. I’ve seen tiny mums for fingers, wristlet mums, mums formed in the shape of a sash, mums to be worn on the hip, garter mums for legs and ankles, door mums, and spirit sticks.

I’ve also seen gigantic mums, over 15 feet high, created by teams of students and faculty members as a class project or simply to express school spirit (and maybe get some local media attention).

In some communities and families, where the mum tradition runs deep, mums are given as gifts when a baby is born. These mums come in pink or blue and are adorned with baby-related trinkets and ribbons with baby’s name, birthdate, and birth weight and length.

And yet, when you get to the point when you know it when you see it, a mum is a mum is a mum is a mum.