An unexpected gift from a secret santa had arrived, and only one person knew how it had gotten there. It was the weekend before Christmas and as usual the family tradition was that everyone gathered in the home of George and Hettie Ivory. Sons, daughter, grandchildren, cousins and sometimes the next door neighbour with their seven children. Hettie would spend the three days before preparing hams, checking her home made pickles and producing several trifles. Some contained Sherry for the adults and a less alcoholic one for the kids, although they never forgot the year when she had helped herself to a sherry while cooking got the trifles mixed up and the kids ended up slightly tipsy.

The tradition was that everyone had to arrive at twelve noon, and all had to bring food for the buffet. Normally it was the neighbours that arrived first. They always made a cake and provided the sausage rolls.

Hettie loved her day from the moment she woke up, only this year it was different. Her only daughter had gotten married in the autumn and, for the first time, she wasn't there to help her mother. Shaking off the longing, she got up, washed and dressed in her sparkly top and a pleated skirt. Making sure to put on her christmas pinafore to protect her best clothes.

Laying out her best cutlery on a silver tray her heart skipped a beat as she heard her daughters voice calling from the back door "Sorry if we're early, Mum, but James knew I really missed helping you this year"

Giving her mother a hug she stepped back to allow her new husband to greet his new mother-in-law "Oh, James" Hettie exclaimed. "How kind of you, I have to admit I had a tear in my eye when I woke up this morning. I missed my Jessie so much"

"Where's dad?" Jessica asked.

Hettie rolled her eyes "He had to get to the Fox and Dogs bang on opening time, You know what your father is like" She examined a fork "He did polish the silver first thing" Rubbing the fork on the pinafore she tutted "Bloody missed a bit though!"

Jessica laughed" Oh, Mum, you never change, you say that every year. Now come on lets get this food sorted"

Turning to her husband she tried to encourage him to go and find her father and enjoy a drink but James was still a little wary of the burly man and declined.

"I will find something to do, even if it's filling the coal scuttle or gathering some more logs" He offered. "Relax, darling and have fun with your mum".

James was relieved to finally be alone and wandering into the front sitting room he took the tiny box from his pocket and placed it in a prominent position under the tree. He smiled as the twinkling lights reflected in the shiny gold wrapping paper. No one would fail to notice it, especially as the tag simply read 'Jessica from Santa'.

He had spent the last three christmases with Jessica and her family, this was the first as her husband and he knew the tradition of being allowed to open one gift after they had finished lunch. To make it more believable he had wrapped a bottle of her favourite perfume to take to put under the tree.

Their gifts and bottle of wine were still in the car. "Just getting our bag from the car, darling" he shouted from the hallway, but Jessica was wrapped up in deep conversation she didn't hear him.

Twelve noon on the dot and everyone started to arrive, kisses and hugs were shared and the younger children of Jessica's brother, Tom, excitedly gathered the gifts from the hall table and arranged them under the tree. Another tradition, the gifts were always left on the hall table.

With the food eaten, everyone gathered around the tree. It was time for gifts and James felt a surge of excitement, especially when one of the grandsons spotted the golden box. "Aunty Jess, you've got this from Santa". He held it up.

Taking the box from him, she shook it ,and looked around the room "Ok who's the joker?" she laughed. Everyone shook their heads. Placing it on her knee she decided to keep it until everyone had opened their presents.

Finally it's time. Untying the golden bow she takes off the lid. Inside is cotton wool so carefully lifting it she finds a small beige coloured stone. Not a smooth pebble, more like a piece of gravel. No bigger than half the tip of her small finger. Picking it up she rolled it between her fingers "I have no idea what this is" and placed it back in the box and looked around the room "Well, can someone share this weird joke?" She was starting to get a little frustrated and James knew it was time to confess.

"It's something I wanted to share with you". He took hold of her hand "Do you remember our wedding night? How I kept you awake?"

Jessica removed her hand from his "You often keep me awake, snoring" a mixture of giggles passed between the young children, while the adults in the room are wondering if this information was so necessary.

"I had that awful stomachache, remember? and we blamed the roasted duck?"

Jessica nodded. "But I still don't get what this is about" and picked up the small stone.

"It was that little devil," James pointed to the stone. "I had a kidney stone"

"So how did it get here?" Jessica's eyes shot to her husband's crotch area "Is that why you have been drinking so much water?"

James nodded.

"Ouch" Jessica laughed as instinctively the men in the room all crossed their legs.

Her eyes widened in disbelief as she held the kidney stone aloft, the golden box now seeming to sparkle with irony. The room erupted in laughter, her initial shock giving way to amusement as she realised the absurdity of the gift.

Her parents, still chuckling, chimed in with their own playful jabs. "Well, al least he's giving you a gift from the heart! Or perhaps from the other end,!" her mother quipped, causing Jessica to roll her eyes and laugh even harder.

"I guess this is one way to make sure I never forget our first Christmas together" Jessica said, grinning at her husband. "What a unique way to commemorate our life as a couple. But you've officially raised the bar for future gifts!"

James, still smiling, leaned in closer. "I promise no more kidney stones for your future Christmas gifts. Next year, it'll be something less....Personal"

As the laughter died down, Jessica took a moment to admire the stone, now understanding the humour behind it. "Alright, fine," she said, her tone softening. "I'll keep it, but only because it's a reminder of how far we've come together-even if that journey involved some pretty painful moments".

With that the family continued the celebrations, the kidney stone now a symbol of love, laughter and the quirky memories that would make their christmas special. As they shared stories, Jessica couldn't help but glance at the golden box, the kidney stone nestled safely inside. It wasn't just a gift; it was a testament to their life together- full of ups and downs, and everything in between.