A new maid answered the door to the Gilmore house.

"She's making you work Christmas Eve that's atrocious." Lorelai commented.

"We're expected for dinner." Rory informed her.

"Please come in and let me take your coats." The maid said.

"Tell me again why I'm here?" Luke whispered.

"Because you wanted to spend Christmas Eve with me." Lorelai replied.

"And because Grandma asked you to come." Rory added.

"Lorelai, Rory, Jess, Luke. Merry Christmas." Emily greeted them.

"Merry Christmas Mom." Lorelai said.

"Merry Christmas Grandma."

Jess and Luke added their Christmas wishes too.

"We come bearing gifts, but sadly they are not gold, frankincense or myrrh." Lorelai stated.

"She tried to find some camels but there aren't that many in Connecticut." Jess added.

"I would have gone with the stable at the inn joke myself." Lorelai remarked.

"Christmas jokes aside please come in and take a seat."

There were general greetings with Richard as well.

"I asked Melissa to move dinner back thirty minutes so we would have time to exchange gifts." Emily informed them.

"I have to go to the bathroom excuse me." Rory said pushing herself off the couch.

"Is Rory okay?" Richard inquired.

"She's just having a bad day and if fed up with being pregnant." Lorelai replied. "She'll be fine. She might not eat a lot she keeps getting heartburn."

"I'll tell Melissa not to give Rory so much food." Emily got up.

"Mom just leave it. She'll eat what she wants."

"So time for presents." Rory said when she got back. "Jess the one with the blue bow is for Grandpa."

Jess took the gift and handed it to Richard.

Richard pulled off the paper and opened the box. He pulled back the tissue paper and revealed a book.

"William Blake, the complete book of poetry." Richard read.

"It's a first edition." Rory pointed out. "Complete with original drab boards and a molted calf cover."

"It's wonderful, wherever did you find it?" Richard asked.

"I know a guy."

"Please tell Mommy you didn't mean that in a Soprano's kind of a way." Lorelai asked.

"No Mom he's not with the mob, his father runs a book store. Although there is girl whose father is in jail for being a mob hit man in Chicago."

"Perhaps you shouldn't make friends with her." Lorelai suggested.

"Yes Mom."

"Rory, it is a perfectly wonderful gift. Thank you."

"You're welcome Grandpa. I thought you'd like it."

"Mom, this is from both of us." Lorelai handed Emily the other parcel they had brought with them.

"Thank you." Emily accepted the gift.

She removed the paper and opened the box.

"What is it?" Emily inquired.

"A palm pilot." Lorelai replied.

"And what exactly is that?"

"It's like a little computer." Rory replied. "You can use it to keep track of all your appointments, and address and make to do lists."

"Then you can hot sync it with the computer to make sure that all the changes are backed up." Lorelai told her.

"Hot sync?" Emily questioned.

"There is a good instruction manual and we you a solid protective cover so you don't damage it when you carry it around in your purse." Lorelai added.

"And you can beam information to other people." Rory told her.

"Beam?"

"Jess will explain it Mom." Lorelai assured her. "It will revolutionise your social calendar literally."

"Me?" Jess questioned. "I don't know anything about Palm Pilots."

"You can read and you're of the technical generation." Lorelai replied. "Besides it's Christmas help an old lady out."

"I'm not that old thank you Lorelai." Emily pointed out.

"Sorry Mom." Lorelai apologised.

TBC