High School Homecoming/Mums!

[Foofoogal]

When my teens and also when I was in high school the boys got the girls Homecoming mums. They were sometimes huge affairs with 3 mums, streamers, decorations etc. I am sure florist loved the time.
I recently went to a Homecoming and was stunned as there was not a mum in sight.
Is this a passe thing or just this particular school?
In your town is this still done?

 

[Viola]

I've never heard of this. Maybe a Southern thing?

I think a lot of girls here wouldn't like it. Streamers? Can't picture it. Is it a corsage?

 

[ThesFlishThngs]

It was a tradition when I was in school, 70s, early 80s. But I was in a small town. Maybe old habits linger longer in such places?
My daughter is a senior in high school now, and I've heard nothing about mums, but saying that, her school isn't big into football (I'm not even sure they have a team, actually), and 'homecoming' happens during a basketball game.....

I do remember, though, in my school days, some organization taking orders for mums, with ribbons in blue and white, and you could pay extra for certain little charms to be added.

 

[ThesFlishThngs]

If you google 'football homecoming mums' you'll find a lot of info. I never had one myself, but I think the queen wore one, and booster parents would order them and wear them proudly to the game.

 

[Foofoogal]

thank you all. I am amazed by the answers really. Even as it was homecoming alumni from past times even wore them.
One memory I have is my son helped roof our house with his dad to buy a girl one and she broke up with him the next day. Seems she just wanted the corsage. As a mom watching it was a hard lesson for him to learn. [huh]
http://mumsrus.tripod.com/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/pict7331.jpg
It was something like above but had the 3 flowers but a smaller bear I believe.
http://mumsrus.tripod.com/

In all honesty it was such fun to see all the girls dressed up with their mums. It was tradition.

 

[dhermann1]

The Peony Chain

My school was so small we didn't even have a football team and didn't have home comings. But we did have a tradition at graduation that involved big flowers. The school colors were maroon and white. (The first principal back in the 1920's was a Springfield College alum, and those were its colors.) So each year the juniors would scour the community for maroon and white peonies. They took a piece of clothesline and made a "peony chain". At graduation the juniors would lead the seniors into the auditorium, carrying the peony chain, and draped it over the end of the seats after everyone had sat down.
It was a lovely and elegant tradition. Sadly, our little school was merged with the nearby school (of course our traditional rival) about 15 years ago. The new school is really an excellent facility and it has been a boon to the community. But certain traditions were lost.

 

[scotrace]

I got my Homecoming date a big mum to wear. Every girl had one. And she wore (as did every other girl), a wool skirt, silk blouse and wool jacket.

Now it's all cocktail dresses or formals. No place to pin a mum.

 

[fortworthgal]

It is definitely a southern thing and it was a *huge* deal, particularly in the smaller, more rural communities. The high school I attended was quite small - too small for a football team - so we didn't have homecoming. The neighboring town did and I remember half the stores in town advertising mums and mum-making supplies a month in advance, and seeing the girls wearing massive double mums that covered both shoulders and stretched over to half of their back! Complete with streamers and plastic bells hanging off, and stuffed animals. Perhaps such excess is out of fashion now? I live in a larger city and I do see mum-making supplies on sale at local craft stores, but it doesn't seem to be quite as popular as when I was younger.

 

[Foofoogal]

just checked with my sister about this and it is still alive and well in around Houston.
:eusa_clap
I feel so much better. Even the small familiar things bring me comfort after this year.

 

[texasgirl]

Circa 1988

I was scanning a bunch of old pictures and remembered this thread. Here's a picture from Junior year prom. We wore these to school on Friday and then to the game Friday night. This one is really not a very big one either. It was always- let's see how big they can get. I know senior year my boyfriend got a cow bell put on it and it rang up and down the hallways of school. So funny to look back at the things we did. Oh and I made the dress. It was a t-shirt- remember when we took them to someplace and they put paint on them and then they spun it really fast? And the paint would kind of spread out? And then I added the PSHS, my school. And the bottom half in another t-shirt I cut and added- how creative