ROUND ROCK, Texas — Just like everything we do in the Lone Star State, we go big for homecoming and all the traditions that come along with it – including homecoming mums.
It's a classic Friday night lights tradition. For decades, Texas high schoolers have shown up on the Friday of the homecoming football game to display their mums and garters.
The word "mum" is short for the chrysanthemum flower. Ribbons are attached to these flowers to create a decorative display that hangs around the neck.
One Round Rock woman, Carrie Ann Ruiz, has turned her kitchen into a mum workshop this year.
"The flowers were real back when I went to school in Taylor. And for anybody who grew up from rural, you know that Friday night lights are a big thing. And when you talk homecoming, it's even a bigger thing," she said.
Ruiz has been receiving mums from past homecoming events across the state in the hopes of making dreams come true for whoever might need one. She takes the mums that are mailed to her and upcycles them for children across the region.
She started the effort because she remembers one year when she was left out of this tradition.
"My junior-senior year, my parents divorced and life as we knew it changed. Still had a great childhood growing up, but when homecoming rolled around, it was one of those things that my parents couldn't afford because life was different," Ruiz said.
As the years have gone on, mums have grown bigger and have become more personalized.
"It's not unheard of to see mums in the $800 range, especially in West Texas. You'll see a lot of mums going for that," Ruiz said. "I think the average price here in Central [Texas] is about $175 to $225."
If you have an old mum or garter lying around in your closet that you'd like to send to Ruiz, you can email her at carrie_a_ruiz@aol.com.