You came to this blog post today with your mind in the gutter, didn’t you? You thought we were gonna talk about some sexy boy parts, didn’t you? Shame on you! Haha!! We’ll maybe save that for another day.

The leaves are starting to turn. The weather’s getting cooler. It’s football season. And that means Homecoming. We currently live in Texas, and they have a homecoming tradition unlike anything I have ever seen before. And that tradition is the homecoming mum.

Originally, a boy gave his homecoming date a chrysanthemum flower to wear to the homecoming football game. It was similar to giving your date a flower to wear to the prom, only they wore it to the game, rather than the dance. You’ve heard the saying everything is bigger in Texas. This is one case in point. (Here’s an article you can read for futher information on the homecoming mum.)

The mums now are full of ribbons, trinkets, feathers, you name it! When you’re a freshman, you get a single mum. Sophomore year you get a double mum. Juniors get a triple (heart shaped) mum. Seniors get a quadruple (diamond) shaped mum. Senior mums are also traditionally all white. The boys wear a garter version of the mum. Below is a slideshow, so you can see what they look like!

So what do you think of this tradition? Do you wish you had one? Did you have a different tradition or a fun homecoming story to share with us?

(A special thanks to Kenzie, Allie and Lanette, and Karlene for letting me share their mum photos!!)