Holiday season is upon us, and we are all gearing up for our office Christmas parties. Or perhaps you’ve had yours already? We like to go out with a bang on the last week here at Fram, but December is typically filled with festivities – if you’re lucky you’ll have a whole string of drinks, do’s and events to go to. So how to get through it all? Here’s our survival tips:

1. Beware the free bar
It has the potential to cause serious trouble (really serious – disciplinaries and dismissals are not unheard of!), so start preparing by carbing up at lunch. And then pace yourself. Bear in mind, you might not remember what you did during the evening, but everyone else will. If you really must overindulge, go for the food instead.

2. Dress appropriately
Unless you’ve got a themed party, dress up. Nothing too revealing or outlandish – you’re still at work – but everyone will appreciate the effort. If it is a theme or fancy dress, make sure the joke isn’t on you!

3. Stay away from honest chats with your boss
Don’t declare your love/hatred, don’t tell them you want a payrise/want their job, and don’t point out their faults and the problems that need fixing either. Now is not the time. Actually, you might want to avoid them altogether.

4. Karaoke?
No advice – we wish you the best of luck!

5. Office etiquette
Yes, it still applies! It might be a party, but you are still on company time, and your behaviour will be judged accordingly. Keep it classy. The only offence tolerated is the one caused by terrible dad dancing.

6. No work talk
Having said that, it is still a party, and people don’t want to talk about the team’s latest project or that client pitch. They really don’t. Besides, if you want to get ahead in the office, you need to show you have a life outside it too.

7. Instagram it…not!
Tonight is the night to turn your social media accounts off (and maybe double-check your company’s social media policy if you absolutely must). That video of your boss re-enacting the Office dance is best used for private consumption.

8. Mingle
Try to chat with everyone, and use it as an opportunity to network, especially if you work for a large company (in which case it might be worth brushing up on the who’s who beforehand too). It’s an opportunity to make yourself known, just make sure it is for the right reasons.

9. Secret Santa
Put some thought into it, make sure that funny gift isn’t actually just rude, and don’t underspend – there’s no excuse for buying a £3 chocolate bar if the limit is £20.

10. About that mistletoe…
Stay away from it. You may have your eye on someone, but it really isn’t a good idea. At best, you’ll be the subject of the office gossip, at worst you’ll cause serious offence, embarrassment or worse. Remember, Christmas parties are for Christmas, but colleagues are for considerably longer.

11. Don’t miss the last tube
Plan your way home in advance, and look after yourself and your colleagues. If you find yourself having a deep chat with the barman with the cleaners moving in around you, you may have overdone it a bit.

12. Don’t call in sick the next day
You really won’t be fooling anyone!

13. For next year – don’t offer to organise it
It’s a thankless task…