A decorated vintage camper sits outside the home of Sherry Sampson for the the community to enjoy.

When Sherry Sampson was told by her doctors in 2020 that she should keep her distance from others due to the pandemic, the thought of not being able to spend time with her family for the holidays was more than she could bear. Her grandkids had always loved her vintage camper, so she got busy decorating it for Christmas as a safe outdoor space to visit loved ones. Little did she know how that simple action would touch so many. 

Sampson’s red and white camper outside her home on East Pryor Street has quickly become a local favorite for holiday photos. The happiness people gain from this simple display is fitting, as it was a project Sampson took on when she was dealing with her own sadness. “Honestly, this has been more of a blessing for me than it has for anybody else, I think,” Sampson said. 

Watching families come together and pose for photos outside her home has delighted Sampson, and she has met new people and friends along the way. One lady had bought a table top decoration of a light-up camper at Cracker Barrel and told Sampson she wasn’t sure why until she passed by Sampson’s home. “She stopped and knocked on the door and told me she figured out why when she saw my camper. She said, ‘you are the reason, and you are supposed to have this,’” Sampson said. 

She estimates that four to five families come a day to take family photos. That is slightly lower than last year, but she attributes that to construction on Pryor Street. She gets tickled when she looks outside and people have stopped. “The other day, I looked out there and a family wearing matching footie pajamas were outside. It looked like at least three generations, and they had grandma horizontally across their lap. It was so sweet,” she said. 

To help visitors with their photos, Sampson has added a tripod and holder for cell phones so guests can more easily capture the perfect holiday memory. As her grandchildren are quick to point out, she has begun a new tradition, and she now hopes to continue decorating the camper next year. She is considering a hashtag so that she can also enjoy the photos. 

Sampson admits she has had her share of medical and financial struggles in her lifetime but wants people to never get discouraged or give up. “God’s going to take care of whatever we need, and I feel like I am the most blessed person I know. I don’t want to take credit for any of this. This is God, and he has blessed me. I want other people to be blessed,” she said. “I love my community of Athens, and I just want to do my part in bringing smiles and joy to those I share it with. If you’ve got something to share that people enjoy, why not?”