If Teresa Giudice, Joe Gorga and Melissa Gorga Can Make Peace, Can't We All?

It’s a Christmas miracle!

This week on The Real Housewives of New Jersey, Teresa Giudice, her brother Joe Gorga and his wife Melissa Gorga all finally uttered some nice, quiet words about being family and making up and not fighting again. We even saw Joe’s teeth because he smiled. Christmas angels everywhere rejoiced. Birds chirped. Choirs sang. America sent a love letter to Russia. (Wait, that probably actually happened.)

Anyway, these three held a little meeting where they actually complimented each other about all sorts of things. Joey kicked it off by telling Teresa, “That’s your sister, you guys gotta love each other,” about Melissa. He’s like the Teresa-whisperer. Somehow, like a lion tamer, his technique worked. He was able to hypnotize her to the point of agreeing. Yessss, siiiiiissster. 

The three go on to calmly discuss the love they have for one another, their mutual hatred towards fellow housewife Jackie Goldschneider, and how much they miss “mommy” and love “daddy.” Oof, this is years' worth of stuff they are unloading. But in the end, “Family’s everything,” Joe reminds us.

Experts say it’s easy to fall back into childhood roles when you are adult siblings, much like Joe and Teresa. But you're never stuck in them. “We often fall back into these roles subconsciously, but they can cause a lot of friction,” Reader’s Digest says. “You may have to actually verbalize it, and say something like, ‘I know I’ve been bossy in the past but I want you to know I’m trying to get past that and let you do your own thing.’”

You’ve got to set boundaries, make compromises, like when you’re deciding on who does what for your adult parents. And treat them like an adult who you respect. “As you spend time getting reacquainted, ask your sibling about his or her job, kids, dreams, favorite sports. Work on building rapport as if you were meeting a stranger — because in a sense, you are, as you're both very different now as adults than when you were children,” RD says.

Here's hoping it lasts through the new year!