Summary: With her daughter still unmarried at the age of 46 Emily has given up and decided to focus on not letting her granddaughter follow in her mother's footsteps. Set on turning Rory's focus from her career towards marriage, Emily throws a party for Rory's 30th birthday. Although the guest list contains a few surprises… Short, hopefully fun, little fic, that'll be six chapters all in all – one a day until Christmas!

This is a very short little fic and the plot probably isn't 100% realistic – but I thought it was rather fun. See it as a little Christmas present.

I'll try to post one chapter a day before the final chapter on Christmas morning before I leave to go see my family (we celebrate Christmas on the 24th, so that's Christmas morning for me).

The chapters are really, really short but since the point of view changes with each chapter it felt best to separate them – and also it makes it more fun if you have to wait for the grand finale of the plot until Christmas!

Chapter 1 – Emily

"Okay" Rory stopped suddenly on her way to the front door and flung her hands out. Emily came to a halt behind her granddaughter as she turned around with a defeated look on her face. "Throw a party if that's what you want"

"Wonderful" Emily said and clapped her hands together as her mind started working on the guest list.

The Henderson's? Was their son still single? She thought so, she would have to make sure first though.

The McCallister's son – he was definitely single. Newly divorced, but single nonetheless – and a charming young man to that. She had to invite them.

"Grandma – are you listening?" Emily snapped out of her thoughts and turned her focus back to her granddaughter. Such a beautiful young lady – it was a shame she hadn't found a husband yet. She was too focused on her career, stubborn little girl – just like her mother.

"I'm sorry" She answered with an apologetic smile. "What were you saying?"

Rory rolled her eyes. "I was saying I don't want this to turn out like the Yale-graduate party you and grandpa threw"

Stunned at Rory's intuition she stared at her without being able to say anything for a few seconds before she gathered herself. "Of course not" She said while her mind started spinning on how to work around this little promise.

"I don't want it to be a party with your friends and their sons – in any form. Not Yale-graduates', not grandpa's business associates', not your DAR friends' – no sons of people that I don't know"

Rory looked stern and Emily opened her mouth to tell her that she actually had been in the DAR as well. Maybe that was the way around the promise? Tweenie Halpurn's son – he was Rory's age, right?

"In fact…" Rory continued before she had a chance to protest. "Don't invite anyone I haven't already met – and liked. If you want to invite someone from the DAR, that I am friends with too – go ahead. But if they have a son – he's not welcome, not unless we've spoken to each other for more than 15 minutes at a cocktail party. I only want people whose first name I don't have to ask for when talking to them"

Emily opened her mouth again. "But…"

"Am I making myself clear?" Rory asked, ignoring her grandmother's input.

Emily sighed. She was becoming more and more like her mother every day. "Yes, very clear indeed" Her voice was icy.

"Good" Rory nodded. "I have to go. Thanks for dinner grandma – it was lovely"

I only want people whose first name I don't have to ask for when talking to them

Emily put the pen down on the paper in front of her. Why did her granddaughter have to be so unreasonable? Only because she hadn't met someone before didn't mean she couldn't enjoy meeting them at the party. She had met Logan at the Yale-graduate party.

Yes. Emily smiled. Rory had met Logan at the Yale-graduate party.

She picked up the pen again and started scribbling a name on the paper in front of her.

Better safe than sorry, she thought and after searching her mind for a few minutes, she scribbled down two more names on the paper.

There was a time when those two names would have been banished from a gathering of this sort. But to face facts: Rory was soon to be thirty, as long as she decided to settle down the man of her choice was of less importance.

She would have to do background checks before sending out the invitations though…

Don't invite anyone I haven't met – and liked

Oh, don't worry Rory, Emily thought with a smug smile on her face, these boys you have all met – and liked.