Rachael Ray to Undergo Throat Surgery

Daytime chatfest queen Rachael Ray will have less to talk about this Christmas — but that's only because she won't be able to talk.

"I'm having voice surgery on Dec. 16, so we're going to celebrate very quietly," Ray told People.

Ray is going under the knife to remove a benign cyst in her throat, but she is more worried about keeping quiet post-op than she is about the procedure itself. If she can keep her urge to speak under control, the TV chef plans to communicate to her husband John Cusimano via handwritten notes afterwards.

"I'm going to grow back the callous I had in grade school from writing," she said.

Ray will resume production on The Rachael Ray Show in January.