How do mums play a role in homecoming?
The purpose of giving and wearing homecoming mums can be summed up in one word. TRADITION. Mums are a token of affection between a boy and a girl, or between a parent and a child. Let's admit it, it is just plain FUN and it gives you the opportunity to showcase your personality and school spirit!
What is the average cost for a homecoming mum? In 2023 the average cost for a homecoming mum is between $75 and 500+. Depending on what you want your mum to look like and who's making it, or where you're buying your supplies.
- Curling ribbon.
- 3 round cardboard backing circles.
- Mum flower (fake or fresh)
- Small plush trinkets such as a teddy bear.
- One large safety pin.
- Scissors.
- Hot glue gun.
- Stapler.
Like a typical corsage/boutonnière exchange, a girl will typically buy her date's garter and a boy will buy his date's mum, although oftentimes parents will buy them for their sons and daughters. For the people of Texas, homecoming mums and garters are definitely folk objects.
On the day of the homecoming game, the boys give their dates a “homecoming mum”(see explanation below) and the girls give their dates a “garter”.
From freshman to senior year, students are expected to outdo themselves each year in the grandiosity of their mums. Homecoming mums today typically include a large flower centerpiece with tons of ribbons, charms, cowbells, jingle bells, stuffed animals, and even LED lights.
How big are your homecoming mums & garters? All of my mums & garters feature a full streamer "skirt", making them hang straight & slightly wider than most typical mums. ~Full length LONG mum streamers are cut 34-36" long and the total length of a single flower mum is about 43-44".
Cut 18- to 24-inch lengths from assorted ribbon in your school's colors. Approximately 15 ribbons will make a nice, full base, but you can attach as many as you like. Arrange as desired and staple one end of each along a five-inch length on the edge of a second backer.
You'll need at least two different types of ribbons, a wide ribbon for the background and a contrasting ribbon for the top. I'm actually using three ribbons because for my loops I'm layering a see through silver ribbon on top of the solid white ribbon.
We've gotten requests from across the U.S. asking: “What kind of ribbon is used for homecoming mums?” Most craft stores that take mum orders use satin acetate ribbon for their homecoming mum ribbon.
How much do mums sell for?
Mums can cost anywhere from about $5 to $27 depending on the size and if it has multiple colors.
OVERVIEW OF HOMECOMINGS TODAY!
Mums are made with the spirit colors of the high school, and often the addition of silver or gold if it's not an official color. Black is often added as an accent color to silver schools. Senior mums are white and usually the metallic color of the school, silver or gold.

Mums—and garters, their male counterparts—are homecoming staples all over the state and a rite of passage for high schoolers. But the tradition's origin is largely obscure—and surprisingly, not Texan.
Add texture and beauty to your homecoming mum with White Mum! Specially designed to fit into a mum backer card (sold separately), this fluffy white mum will add the perfect finishing touch. Ready yourself for a fun football season! Dimensions (Varies Upon Shaping):
Mums are considered a token of affection — typically given to a girl by her date in honor of homecoming celebrations. Traditionally, students will wear a mum to school on homecoming Friday, the football game, and other alumni events.
For the Homecoming Game:
*Parents should dress in formal attire to present their student.
Mums, it turns out, are a very specific tradition, popular only in Texas (and parts of Oklahoma) and are huge, ginormous corsages.
Most homecoming dances are semi-formal, although each school will specify its own dress code. For a semi-formal event, girls should wear cocktail dresses (usually cut at the knee) and boys should wear a suit with a tie. Tuxedos and long dresses should be avoided, unless the school specifically says the dance is formal.
Giving flowers to your homecoming date is a traditional and thoughtful gift. Roses and orchids are popular choices, but unique dance flowers can also be crafted with a skillful florist.
It was first written about by scribes over 3,500 years ago. In fact their artwork shows mums as they would appear today. Folklore teaches that the boiled roots were taken as a headache medicine and ancient culinarians used sprouts and petals in salads. The leaves were even occasionally brewed for recreational purposes.
How long is the standard homecoming mum?
36” length. Includes white mum flower, 1 football trinket, 1 homecoming trinket, 2 jingle bells, 2 specialty ribbons, 8 curly ribbons, 9 school colored ribbons.
However, they usually consist of a football game played on a school's home football field, activities for students and alumni, a parade featuring the school's choir, marching band and sports teams, and the coronation of a homecoming queen (and at many schools, a homecoming king).
Traditionally, the mum was designed and ordered by the male date and the garter was designed and ordered by the female date, to be later exchanged on the night before the homecoming football game. However, many high school students now buy their own.
Students do not wear the mums to the homecoming dance. They wear them the day before at school and football game.
While it is polite for the boy to offer to pay the bill, the check can be split. If you go to someone's house for dinner, be sure to send a thank you note to the parents for hosting. You may even want to consider taking the mother a small gift like flowers.
If it is a guy giving it to a girl, etc - put both of their names on it. Personally I think it is neat to also put their nickname if they have one. RIBBON COLORS. Be sure to order the mum in the school colors EXCEPT SENIORS!
Some sell for as much as $1,300 and weigh up to 75 pounds! SPRING, Texas — It's football season and here in Texas that means it's mum season too. The treasured Texas tradition dates back to the 1930s. Through the years, the mums just keep getting bigger, flashier and more expensive.
What is homecoming? The Cambridge Dictionary defines homecoming as “a celebration at school or college, usually including a dance and a football game, when people who were students there at an earlier time can return to visit” (dictionary.cambridge.org). This is particularly true of American university culture.
“What kind of ribbon is used for homecoming mums?” Most craft stores that take mum orders use satin acetate ribbon for their homecoming mum ribbon. The professional homecoming mum makers use an assortment of different types of ribbon. Satin double faced, acetate, and sometimes grosgrain to name a few.
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