Every year, my dad’s extended family has a huge Christmas gathering in the tiny town of Samson, Alabama. Even though so many of our family members live in the Atlanta area, we don’t see them nearly as often as we should, so this weekend is always special and fun. Most of us stay at the only motel in the nearby town of Geneva, and our family literally takes over the place. In between family visits with our 99-year-old great-grandmother, our grandmother, and everyone else, we peruse the Family Dollar next to the Briarwood Inn, play some poker (mostly just the guys), and eat — A LOT. It’s something we look forward to every year.

The Porky Barn — a MUST for breakfast::

In my lifetime of coming to Samson, I’ve never really noticed this quaint city hall building::

Christmas lunch at the “party barn”::




A plate full of home-cooked goodness::

Finger-lickin’ good, to be exact::

Meet Miss Minnie, our great-grandmother::



Some of the great- and great, great-grandchildren::

I could’t resist this guy — he’s a stray that some family took in, and he got a sparkly red bow tie!

The little girls’ hair salon @ the Briarwood Inn::



31 family members, mostly kids, took over this place for our last meal of the weekend::

Thank you to our extended Finch/Sims/Smith family for hosting us all at the party barn, and for making our Christmas extra special and meaningful every year. Till next year!