Homecoming Mums - A Southern Tradition

> You have permission to publish this articlestudents. Designs change every year. The more
electronicallyoriginal,the better. If you're a crafter and live in
> or in print, free of charge, as long as youTexas or Oklahoma, youshould be in seventh
include theheaven. You can make homecoming mums for
> author's bio and any links, then send an email toyourselfor your favorite high school student at a
> with a courtesy copy of yourfraction of the retail price.
> publication or link to your web pageEven the boys are getting into this fad. They've
Homecoming Mums: A Southwestern Traditionstarted wearinghomecoming garters on their
By Eileen Bergensleeves. If you craft for profit, the highmargins
It's homecoming season across the nation, butmake homecoming mums a very attractive
only in parts ofseasonal craft.
Texas and Oklahoma, is it also "homecomingHomecoming Mums: The Tradition
mum season". Somestudents take homecomingChrysanthemums have long been the
mums just as seriously as thehomecomingquintessential Fall flower, so it'snot surprising that
football game itself.they quickly became associated with
For the uninitiated, a homecoming mum is anthequintessential Fall sport - football. In the earliest
oversize mum corsagedecorated with three-footpictures ofcollege football games, you can pick out
long streamers in the school colors,bells, charms,the mum corsages worn by theyoung women in
banners, little plush animals done up inthe stands.
bows,sparkly letters, even Christmas tree lights. ItSince everything grows big in Texas, it's also not
is usually wornin the middle of the chest like asurprising thatthe Lone Star State is credited with
breastplate with the streamersflowing down thedeveloping the more elaboratecorsages known as
front of the body almost touching the ankles.homecoming mums. In the 1960's, these
It is, in short, a fashion statement.wonderfulconcoctions could be had there for $10.
But homecoming mums are so much more thanAhh, the good 'ol days.
that. They are a signthat somebody loves you.Over the years, mums were cultivated to grow
They're no longer given only by boyfriends.bigger and bigger and thecorsages grew and
Mums can come from friends, your mom, dad,grew. Today, the silk flower has replaced the
aunt, or even a boosterboy (a boy-friend who islivechrysanthemum as the centerpiece for
not your date). Anybody who's anybodyhomecoming mums. With silk flowers,the only size
wearsone, or two.limit to homecoming mum corsages is the size of
These days, a homecoming mum can cost up tothe wearer!
$100 and weigh as muchas 12 pounds!Now a homecoming mum can be saved as a
Homecoming mums have become a statuskeepsake or recycled into nextyear's new unique
symbol for many junior high andhigh schoolcorsage.