5 Survival Tips for Your Company Holiday Party

Don't skip it, even if you reallly reallllyyyy want to. Put on your big boy pants, slap a smile on your face and at least make an appearance. I'm not saying you have to stay all night and be the life of the party, but make an effort. It shows that you appreciate your employers gratitude, but also shows you're a team player who makes their job a priority in their life. Plus, if you go into it with a positive attitude, you might even have a good time.

Just don't do it. DON'T. I don't care if there's an open bar, or if the hottie from accounting keeps offering to buy you drinks. YOU WILL REGRET IT. Not that I'm speaking from experience or anything (wink, wink) but getting trashed in front of your coworkers, not to mention your boss, will not only make you the fodder of office gossip, but it will haunt you FOREVER. Every year about this time people start saying, remember last year when... Reminder: CAMERA PHONES ARE EVERYWHERE. If your behavior is that abhorrent, don't think that the Chad from I.T. won't let that thing go viral in a heartbeat. The Internet is FOREVER.

The is for the fellas just as much as the ladies. Make sure your attire keeps with the tone of the party. If your employer has gone the more casual feel, don't show up ready for the red carpet. You'll just look silly. However casual also doesn't excuse you showing up looking like a slob. A great casual go to is a funny holiday sweater. Even if you're the only one who went the ugly sweater route, you'll be a hit, plus it's a great conversation stater for chatter with coworkers you don't know as well. If the gathering is formal, DON'T, I repeat DON'T attempt to show off what the good lord gave you. If you're questioning whether or not that skirt is too short, it is. Save it for your girls trip to Vegas. It's unprofessional and just not cute.

Have a cocktail or two (see Rule #2), dance, chat, participate. Strike up a conversation with someone you don't normally talk to you. Show everyone your best running man on the dance floor, if it's terrible, even better. The more you make people laugh, the more they'll like you. But again, if you need a liquid courage to socialize, again refer back to rule #2, you want people to laughing WITH you, not AT you. I promise you'll go back to work Monday with some new friends, but more importantly, new allies. Disclaimer; Socialize does not mean hook up, don't confuse friendly and flirty (cough, cough, Rule #2)

Your work holiday party is a time for light hearted, social banter, so your time to discuss Wednesdays marathon staff meeting that could have been an email, not the time to discuss your project partner inability to stick to deadlines, and most importantly, not the time to air your grievances to your boss. I know it's extremely difficult to avoid conversations about work when you're hanging out with your coworkers, but nine times out of ten, it will not end well. Especially if you or others have not adhered to rule #2.