Snow was rare in Sacramento, so it came as a pleasant surprise to the Chan Clan when they discovered that this year, they would have the kind of "white Christmas" that Bing Crosby sang the glory of. The whole day had been filled with laughter and snowball fights and building forts snowmen, sledding and snow angels.

But of course, the fun times had to come to an end once it got dark, and now everyone was bundled up in their pajamas in front of the TV, watching It's A Wonderful Life. Only Stanley sat apart from the crowd, glancing out the window as the snow continued to fall; he'd been so caught up in the excitement that it hadn't dawned on him until just now.

"Stanley?"

"Oh, hey, Alan." Stanley smiled as his younger brother sat down beside him. Somehow he'd expected he wouldn't be alone for long; Alan had always been the one he could show his serious side to most of all, and he was fairly perceptive when it came to other people's moods. "Some snow, huh? The last time it snowed like this around Christmastime..."

"...Mom was still here." Alan nodded. "So that's why you needed to be alone, huh?"

"Yeah." Stanley sighed. "Do you remember that Christmas, Alan?"

"Kind of. I remember how young we all were...Henry wasn't even ten yet, and Scooter and Mimi weren't even born," Alan said. "We didn't even have Chu-Chu! Can you imagine that?"

"I can't even imagine Henry being younger than ten," Stanley laughed. "But Mom was so excited about the snow, she was telling us all about her childhood in Illinois and how this was the first snowy Christmas she'd had since she moved out here and married Pop."

"She taught us how to make snow angels," Alan added. "Most mothers didn't play in the snow with their kids back then...come to think of it, most still don't."

Stanley sighed, wrapping an arm around his brother.

"I miss her," he said quietly. Alan nodded, leaning against Stanley's shoulder.

"We all do, especially around this time," he said. "She'd be so happy if she could be here right now."

"Merry Christmas, movie house!" Jimmy Stewart's voice caught their attention, both brothers acknowledged it with a smile as they continued to watch the snow falling outside. Images of a woman and her young children played across their minds, making snow angels and drinking hot chocolate, singing Christmas carols.

Merry Christmas, Mom.