Author's Note:Hey guys! Um... Okay I know I said I wouldn't write any fics until work has finished but I'm going through a dark period where that's concerned and need to write as a form of therapy as I'm sure some of you know - writing helps. This idea just came to me today, it's not really a story in particular just a series of Christmas moments for the Reagan's every year and a follow through their lives. So read it and tell me if it's a good idea!

1983

Snapshot

December 25th 1983

Christmas Day

Nine year old Danny Reagan groaned as his six year old brother jumped on his bed in an attempt to wake him up.

"Danny!" Joe yelled, "Wake up! It's Christmas!"

"Okay, okay I'm up!" Danny sat up in his bed and grinned sleepily at his brother, "Where's Ma and Dad?"

"Downstairs I think," Joe answered carelessly, "Now come on, race you!" Joe took off tearing out of the room.

"Hey no fair, you had a head start!" Danny called out as he ran out of his room and collided into his father. "Whoa! Dad!"

"Whoa yourself there son," Frank laughed as he grabbed Danny to a stop. "I know it's Christmas but you still need to be careful, you don't want to injure yourself, especially not today!"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah!" Danny said dismissively, "Merry Christmas Dad!" He hugged his Dad quickly before saying, "I gotta go – Joe's gonna open all the presents!"

"Tell him to save some until after dinner!" Frank called out frantically as Danny slid down the bannister to the ground.

"Daniel how many times have I told you not to slide down the bannister?" Mary scolded as she walked out of the kitchen just as Danny climbed off the bannister.

"Forty-two and counting!" Danny answered smartly.

"You know if I wasn't so wound up about cooking I'd actually tell you off for your cheek," Mary said with a smile, "As it happens, I have a lot to do so go and open some presents!"

"Thanks Ma!" Danny hugged his mother and proceeded into the living room.

"But tell Joe not to open all of his at once!" Mary added.

"Got it Ma." He tried to leave but Mary called him back.

"And keep an eye on Jamie, you know how much he likes to put stuff in his mouth – today would be a haven for him and all his foreign objects!"

"Of course I will." He started to walk into the living room when Mary called him again.

"And don't make too much of a mess in there okay?"

"Ma!" Danny whined, "Kinda wanna open presents now!"

"Fine, go follow your own priorities!" Mary huffed, bustling off to the kitchen.

Danny headed into the living room where he saw Joe already tearing the paper off what looked like a book. Danny laughed when he saw Joe's face fall.

"Another book from Aunt Sally huh Joe?" Erin chirped.

Danny turned to his eight year old sister who was kneeling on the floor, trying to support their nine-month old baby brother as he gleefully ripped apart handfuls of wrapping paper while his own newly un-wrapped toys lay forgotten at the side.

"What did Jamie get?" Danny asked, kneeling down beside his baby brother.

"Some jigsaw puzzles and some books and some toys," Erin answered, glancing at the pile.

"I don't understand how he can have so many presents. He won't be able to remember it will he?" Danny asked curiously.

"No!" Erin laughed, "But it's his first Christma - No Jamie!" She said suddenly, grabbing his tiny wrist as he was just about to shove a handful of paper in his mouth.

"He seems more interested in that paper than his own presents," Frank commented in amazement as he entered the living room, watching Jamie playing with the paper, completely fascinated by it.

"That's because he's a baby!" Joe stated simply as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"So what did Santa Clause bring you Joe?" Frank asked with a twinkle in his eye.

Joe proudly held up his board game, "Connect 4!"

"Wow. What about you Erin?"

"Santa brought me my Bridal Barbie," Erin gushed. "It was what I always wanted but it was only the second present on my list."

"What was the first?" Frank asked while trying not to laugh.

"A pony," Erin said with an air of disappointment. "But never mind Daddy, I'm sure Santa thought a pony would be too big to fit down the chimney."

"I'm sure he did sweetheart." Frank said evenly. "What about you Danny? You've been good all month, no surprise. Somehow all throughout December you always seem to be on your best behaviour and then the second into Boxing Day you're back to your old self again."

Danny looked at his father, trying to figure out if he knew what Santa Clause had brought him. The whole idea of Santa Clause seemed a little creepy to Danny, ever since he was a kid. Joe had always loved to chatter on and on to Santa about what he'd wanted for Christmas, so did Erin. But Danny always found the idea of sitting on a stranger's lap quite weird. Still, he liked getting presents and if that meant he needed to be a good boy then he did, as hard as it was for him. However he only ever managed to last just from Thanksgiving until Christmas.

Danny pulled his own stocking towards him and fished inside it. His hand brushed a smoothly wrapped package. He pulled it out excitedly and started unwrapping it. He gasped as the box fell onto his lap.

"Hot wheels!" Danny exclaimed excitedly. He noticed Joe's eyes widen wistfully as he eyed the box in Danny's hand. "You can play too Joe?"

Joe's eyes now lit up with joy. "Really?"

"Yeah, we can play together, and when Jamie's old enough he can play with us." Danny said happily.

Frank smiled at his eldest, feeling very much at ease. Danny may be a troublemaker but when it came down to his siblings, he really did his father proud. And at such a young age at that.

Jamie spotted the brightly coloured box in Danny's hand and immediately dropped the scrunched up paper he had been chewing on for the past five minutes. He tried to reach it.

"Yyaang!" He pointed at the hot wheels box with desire in his bright green eyes.

Danny held it out to him, "Do you want to play with this? Maybe when you get bigger kid okay?"

"Mmmmm," Jamie whimpered as Danny took the box away.

Erin smiled and gave him some more wrapping paper. "Look Jamie – pretty paper."

Jamie gasped in delight and started stuffing the paper into his mouth. Erin snatched the paper back. "No Jamie! Bad boy!"

"He's not a dog Erin!" Danny said crossly. "He doesn't understand."

Erin stuck her tongue out at him, "I don't want him to get hurt. Ma says when he puts things in his mouth, he can swallow them and he can choke. Can't he Daddy?" Erin said quickly turning to their father.

"Yes he can, good girl for looking after him – both of you!"

Danny shot his sister a smirk and a raised brow.

"Okay now your mother and I have a very special present for all four of you," Frank said slowly. Immediately the three older Reagans started jumping up and down.

"What is it Daddy? What is it?" Joe tugged at his father's hand.

"Give it to us now Daddy please!" Erin shrieked.

Jamie didn't know what was going on but he too started laughing and clapping his hands. Danny picked him up and balanced him on his hip.

"What kind of a present is it?" Danny inquired. "I mean… how can it be for all of us? Erin's a girl and Jamie's a baby?"

Frank laughed at his son's inquisitiveness. "Well…" He shot his wife a mischievous smile as she sidled up behind him and slipped her arms around his waist. "Your mother and I were thinking, now that Jamie's finally here with us, you four kids are going to do all sorts of funny things and are going to want to document it."

"What does document mean?" Joe immediately asked with a puzzled look.

"It means making sure that you have all of your memories down on paper," Mary explained.

"But it's all in our head. How can we put it all on paper?" Joe asked with even more curiosity.

Frank produced a brightly wrapped package from behind his back, "With this."

Joe was about to burst with excitement, "I want to open it! I want to open it!"

Mary laughed, "Okay, okay but be careful because it's very precious."

"Quickly Joe," Danny moaned, "Jamie's getting kinda heavy, just open the present already!"

Joe greedily tore the paper off their special present. Danny and Erin clustered around him eagerly, with baby Jamie in Danny's arms, trying to reach down and grasp the present in Joe's.

Joe held before him a brand new polaroid camera.

"I know what that is!" Erin said excitedly, "That's a camera! Missy Felt's brother has one and they take pictures all the time and you can see them when they come out!"

"That's exactly what it is honey," Mary said, gently kissing her daughter on the forehead. "It's for you all to share. You can take pictures with it and keep it in the photo album."

"That's a cool present Ma," Danny said, smiling softly.

"Let's take a picture now!" Erin suggested. Frank beamed.

"Okay, all of you, gather underneath the tree and hold your gifts up," Frank said as he arranged the camera.

Danny and Erin knelt down either side of each other with Joe in front, leaning against Erin, holding up his Connect 4 game with a broad grin plastered on his face. Danny shifted Jamie carefully so he was sitting safely on his lap and with one hand clutching his baby brother he placed his other arm over Erin's shoulder and was able to rest his hand on Joe's, bringing them all to a full circle under their Christmas tree.

"Perfect!" Mary sniffed as she observed her perfect children clustered together under the tree, surrounded by all their presents.

"Say, Merry Christmas!" Frank ordered as he snapped the picture of his four children on this very special Christmas.

"Merry Christmas!" They all chorused as their most treasured gift captured a most treasured moment in their young lives.

Happy New Year: 1984