Photo by Joi Louviere
Homecoming mums— they’re a right of passage for Texas teens celebrating the event at school. What started out as a simple bundle of chrysanthemums and a few ribbons has transformed into bigger, more elaborate creations hanging three or four feet long with trinkets, lettering, glitter, and even lights. The bigger the mum, the more oohs and ahhs you get. Gaudy is the goal.
A gift from the midwest?
Even though Texas is well-known for darning the mega mums, the tradition is said to have started in Missouri. Mum historians haven’t agreed upon a date, and honestly even the trendsetting state is up for debate in some spheres, but most stories credit the University of Missouri for introducing the flower-ribbon combo as a gift from a young man to his homecoming date.
It isn’t a consistent tradition throughout Missouri today. If you ask Missourians, many have never heard of mums, so perhaps the university tradition never pierced Missouri culture. No matter who started it, Texas definitely owns it now.
Bigger and better in Texas
In 1909, Baylor University threw the state’s first homecoming. It was originally called “Good Will Week,” and the school summoned alumni to return to their alma mater with pride and enthusiasm. The week included a parade, and that is where we see the first chrysanthemums. The flowers, yellow that day, covered the cars, according to the school newspaper, along with flag buntings and pendants. In 1934, the week became annual and was named “Homecoming.” Just like with everything in Texas, the mums got bigger and bigger, and designed more elaborately.
Garland City Hall is currently hosting a mum exhibit called Mumentous: The Upsizing of a Texas Tradition, created by Fort Worth photographer Amy J. Shultz. Shultz became obsessed with mums after making some at a school fundraising event. She grew a portfolio that focused on the tradition, and that caught the eye of the Arlington Museum of Art, who offered her an artist-in-residency. The result—a multimedia gallery all about the heritage of homecoming and the mums role —led to a book and now a traveling exhibit.
“Every mum is part Christmas tree, part Disney princess gown, part wind chime, and part banquet hall centerpiece… tugging on the girl’s heart and the back of her neck. Like snowflakes, no two mums are exactly alike, and yet they are all treasure chests of times well spent,” Shultz writes in her book.
Owen Wade and Aimee Palermo rock their silver and white mums during homecoming 2023 at Seven Lakes High School in Katy, Texas. At Seven Lakes, juniors were silver and white mums, while seniors wear gold and white. Photo courtesy of Emma Zone
Today the mums are so substantial that they must be worn around the neck. Boys also have their own mums, too, usually a smaller version of the girls’ worn around the neck or on the arm. High school students may wear these during the homecoming football game, or snap pictures with it before their homecoming dance. Some traditions dictate special color combinations for upperclassmen.
In 2023, Lewisville High School made a 37.5-foot mum and set a Guinness World Record for the world’s largest mum. The burger chain Whataburger held the record at one point, with their 18-foot arrangement made with 1,250 flowers and 300 feet of ribbon.
Photo courtesy of Whataburger
Mum’s the word
Julie LaFuente grew up in a poor community in South Texas. Nothing about her life was glitzy or excessive, but making homecoming mums, no matter their cost, was something her and her community valued. They rallied around each other to make sure everyone could participate in the treasured tradition.
Those happy memories stuck with Julie and when she had her own children—daughters— she knew she would pass on the tradition. Alis, her youngest daughter, remembers being a young girl and watching as her older sister was first introduced to mum-making.
“My sister’s friend’s moms would come over, because they had never heard of the tradition, and make mums. It was a fun way for everyone to get together, craft together, learn a new skill, and share a meal,” Alis said.
Now 25, Alis remembers when her turn came, but by then, her mother’s mum aspirations had gotten bigger and louder.
“There was no competing with her, they had lights and bells. She liked the idea that we would stand out and that we would be the only ones to have those things,” she said. “I would go to school and be in third period with something on my arm that was lit up, with a bell, and it would jingle every time I moved.”
They then got longer and would hang to her feet. She’d have to remove them to take tests and not make a scene during quiet times at school.
In all their ridiculousness, Alis remember mums meaning so much to Julie. Julie battled cancer for 30 years and made her own mum to celebrate each year she survived. She’d mount one on a big staff and march with it at the Susan G. Komen races, upgrading it each year.
Julie passed away in 2023, after a 30-year battle with breast cancer.
The big energy of Texas mums really embodied Julie’s personality. She lived her life to the fullest, didn’t she care what anyone thought of her, and was always dressed to the nines. Her daughter plans to pass on the tradition to her own children.
“For me, it was more of a tradition rooted in my mom’s life and Texas heritage, and I really like it.”
Photo by Joi Louviere
The making of a mum
Can you get a mum made for you? Absolutely. Every region has a mum queen, crafter, or florist who is known for making custom creations. The Mum Shop has been a North Texas go-to for 40 years. By mid August, the shop is open 7 days a week and by November it becomes appointment only. In the Houston area, Homecoming Mums & Garters by Cindy Hooks is a top resource.
And in the off season, there are still things to do. Mums are so beloved that they’re used as event decor or a way to commemorate an occasion. Just like with anything else, the price has changed over the years. What might have been a $50 investment 15 years ago has now tripled. A Murphy father paid $160 for his daughter’s mum this year, but if they had made it themselves, true to the North Texas grandiosity, it could have cost more.
Some students and their families will make their own mums. Materials include the flowers, ribbon, fabric letters, various pendants, and a strap and backing to secure the arrangement. Originally, mums required a cardboard backing, but as they’ve gotten bigger, a plexiglass backings often used to make the arrangement more sturdy. Real mums have been traded in for long-lasting silk ones. Texas party and craft stores prepare for this time of year, offering a wide selection of supplies.
At the Mumentous exhibit, an interactive section asked visitors to share how they get their mums. Most visitors said they were made with their mothers, a memory that’s held fondly in the minds of many Texans akin to a core holiday memory or loving after a heartbreak— you remember your mom was there.
Photo by Joi Louviere
This homecoming tradition is a sentimental one. The exhibit’s creator called it “the closest you’ll ever get to seeing someone actually wear their hearts on their sleeves.” Long after homecoming, with high school the rearview, the mums remain as keepsakes of a simpler time.
If there are two things Texans do well, it’s having palpable state pride and going big instead of going home. The state’s love for football made a homecoming tradition ripe for the taking, even if mums didn’t originate in-state. Ninety years later and the tradition is a symbol of culture—loud, proud, and okay with being “too much.”
Arianna Yarbrough, 28, has her homecoming mums displayed in her Houston home as a memory of the fun tradition. Some were gifted and others were commissioned by mum-makers in the area. Photos courtesy of Arianna Yarbough
