The Gorga Switch

Merry Christmas in July! How weird is it seeing snow on the ground when it’s blazing hot outside? I loved watching everyone get ready for the holidays and decorating our tree with the girls. How great was Gabriella’s description of Christmas? And Milania screaming, “This is gonna be the best Christmas ever!” The great thing is every year somehow manages to be the best Christmas ever. Don’t you love that? Every year we watch the Grinch cartoon, and we love the end when Christmas comes anyway without ribbons or packages, boxes or bags. I’m so proud that my children get it. Christmas doesn’t come from a store. It comes from your heart and your love and your faith and your family.

Love and faith and family are helping Joe and I get through this rough season in our lives. Thank God! We all go through hard times, especially when it seems like everywhere you go someone is attacking you. If it’s not the tabloids or ex-business partners, it’s someone’s brother-in-law looking for camera time... When you’re on TV, it’s crazy what people will do and say (ahem... Kim G.) around you and to you just to try and get on TV or get their names in the papers for messing with you. Usually we just ignore it and walk away, but when Melissa’s brother-in-law came up to us at her Christmas party in front of everyone and said we owed him money... it was enough. It’s not true -- $1000, are you kidding me? And it’s a terribly tacky thing to say at a party especially when my husband helped him out and gave him work, paying him ahead of time, when he couldn’t even afford materials. I’m very proud of my Joe for handling it so calmly. I’m embarrassed for Melissa’s brother-in-law.

Even though you didn’t see all of it, we did have a great time at my brother’s party. We weren’t that late -- we arrived at the same time as Jacqueline and were there when the rep from St. Joseph’s was talking on the stairs. Melissa and I even danced together on the dance floor!

Of course, at a family holiday party, you don’t want any drama. We didn’t want to bring any or cause any, and we’d do anything to avoid it. Obviously no one knew Monica Chacon was coming, but I wish I’d known Melissa had invited Kim G. I didn’t know she and Kathy were such good friends with Kim G., but all I have to say on that is Kim G. might not be the best choice of friend if you’re looking to avoid drama. I wouldn’t have invited her -- or someone I knew was bad mouthing my family all over town -- to my holiday party if I wanted everything to be peaceful.

I didn’t know until I watched the show how calculating Monica Chacon was. I didn’t know she introduced herself to Melissa and Kathy at the fashion show with “I’m suing Teresa,” or that she knew before she came into the house for the party that it was my brother’s house. Despicable. 

Here’s the story with Monica: Joe’s ex business partner hired Monica’s family’s firm to represent him. She, her husband, and her father-in-law are all lawyers there. I heard that she (I’m going to use Kathy Griffin’s trick for avoiding being sued here...) “allegedly” told Danielle my house was in foreclosure last year (it never was). Then I hear she’s “allegedly” telling Kim G. all about my personal information. Kim G. then “allegedly” reports it to Radar Online (I think she has them on speed dial). You can draw your own conclusions on “classy” Monica Chacon’s behavior from the way she introduced herself to my family at the fashion show.

I kept hearing this name “Monica Chacon” over and over as the source of information being “leaked” about me, and when I finally saw her in court one day, I went up to her. I approached her in the hallway during a recess, asked her name, and then told her I knew what she was doing, and that it was unethical. There was no big scene (although Radar Online reported there was... hmm...). First of all, we were in a courthouse. If I’d done anything even remotely like the blogs said, you know I’d have been reprimanded or something. The truth is, nothing happened except me telling her I knew what she was doing. Joe told everyone later that I was nuts for going up to her, because that’s how he talks: nuts means crazy good. He was impressed I had the guts to call out an attorney on her home turf.

I was not impressed that after that Monica came to my brother’s house. Why? Why would she come if not to start something? I was very glad my brother and Melissa asked her to leave. I would have done the same thing for them in a heartbeat.

As for Kathy... we got to see her Gorga Switch go off tonight! I hadn’t seen her since the fashion show when she confronted me and tried to suggest my kids were unattended at the christening. I’m sorry, you should never ever insult someone’s parenting. Kathy’s my first cousin, she’s known me a long time, and she knows exactly how much that kind of comment would hurt me. She knew it and she said it anyway. I’m not a calculating person, and it always shocks me when I find out I’m around someone who is. It was going to take me awhile to get over that insult, and she knew it.

So in the couple of weeks between the fashion show and Christmas party, Kathy never called me to apologize or try and work it out. The first I see her is at another place with lots of people. I didn’t think my brother’s party was the place for any kind of conversation that might turn into a misunderstanding, but she seemed to think it was... again.

It was awkward. We hadn’t spoken since she insulted me. I was nice, I said hi, toasted her for the holidays, and hoped that would be it. But she kept hovering like she wanted something, but she didn’t say what. And it wasn’t the time or the place. Then she started with the weird it’s “nice to see me” like nothing had happened. I’m not fake like that. I had an honest reaction: Now it’s nice to see me? I hadn’t heard from her, so I didn’t know what had changed. Last time we were together, she insulted me, and I didn’t know what was going to come out of her mouth at this party. I can’t believe after she saw what happened at my brother’s last party (the christening) that she would try and bring up anything.

I had no idea she and Richie flipped out like that behind closed doors. Who knew they were so angry and vulgar? I’m glad they didn’t burn the house down... You’ve never heard me call my family obscene names, and you won’t. I was disappointed in her, but not surprised.

On a happier note, I was back in Florida for the introduction of my new cosmetics line to the industry: TG by Teresa Giudice! The first products -- lipstick, lip gloss and nail polish -- will be in stores this fall! Check out my website for the latest information: www.teresagiudice.com.

I’m so grateful for your support of my book Fabulicious! as well. It means the world to me to hear how you’re cooking with your families.

Keep sending me pictures on Twitter (@Teresa_Giudice) and Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Teresa-Giudice/122688361577). Your gorgeous faces and wonderful messages mean so much to me.

Love, love, love you all! Have a great week!

Tanti baci,

Teresa