Two weeks ago when I went to visit my brother at Southern Methodist University, I met his friend from California. At some point while talking to her, we reached the topic of Homecoming.
“What’s a mum?” she asked with confusion.
Wanting to show her an important Texas tradition, I pulled up Facebook and showed her pictures from this year’s game. It was not long after she saw the first picture of the white ribbons and fake flowers that she burst into hysterics.
This is a pretty normal reaction for someone who is not Texas-born and raised, because, let’s face it, this offbeat tradition we call “homecoming” is only a big deal to us.
Besides the Southlake Carroll game, there aren’t many occasions where the entire school is involved. Homecoming, however, is one of the biggest.
When you look through the halls, you see a majority of students, and even teachers, dressed up for theme days. Now, I don’t know about you, but nothing makes me happier than seeing my teachers, my very sophisticated teachers, dressed up as if it were Halloween.
Each year, even though the themes are different, people always wear avant-garde outfits and are dressed to impress during Homecoming week. Along with the students and teachers, the doors, hallways and windows are decorated.
To me, it seems like Homecoming gives everyone a chance to be involved in promoting school spirit through events such as the parade and dance.
But participation isn’t limited to CHS students. The entire community is active in homecoming. The police department and fire department play a role in the production of the parade and it seems like all of Coppell is at the game itself and then celebrating the win afterwards at local restaurants.
Also, it’s a time for former students to come back and get that feeling they’ve been missing since leaving Coppell: good ol’ Cowboy spirit. They get to see old friends and teachers and help celebrate the most important nights of the year.
Often, even cheerleader alumni give a blast from the past that can be seen on the sidelines, as they attempt to join this year’s squad in cheering and dancing.
Perhaps the thing about homecoming that most people find overrated and unnecessary is the mums and garters. But there’s a little more to them besides annoying bells and itchy necks by the end of the day.
I know that I can look on my wall at the mums hanging and I can tell who my date was, what events I participated in and what I wore to both the game and the dance. True, I might remember those things anyway, but a mum is a visual memory of homecoming. They might look and feel ridiculous, but it’s all for fun and to get into the spirit of the tradition.
And in these unusual ways, homecoming creates tradition, something CHS knows all about, and a tradition that we can all testify is anything but normal. For homecoming, we pull out all the stops.
