It’s that time of year again when most offices are getting ready for their Christmas party.  The venue is booked, the alcohol and the food have been ordered and you’re looking forward to socialising with your work colleagues outside of the office.  But, we’ve all heard the horror stories of what can go wrong so we’ve decided to compile a guide to surviving this possible minefield…

1. Try not to drink too much.  This is probably the most obvious tip and yet can be the hardest to stick to!  Have fun and be sociable but know where to draw the line to avoid the walk of shame through the office on Monday morning.

2. Don’t flirt.  The office Christmas party is renowned for being the time when colleagues get drunk and flirt with people they never would when they are sober.  It might seem like a bit of harmless fun at the time but it will be uncomfortable for both of you afterwards.  Oh and your other co-workers will tease you about it forever!

3. Wear an appropriate outfit.  Its fine to get dressed up for the occasion but don’t go over the top, especially if you are a woman.  You don’t want the reputation of the one that wore THAT dress to the party!

4. If you are allowed to bring a guest, make sure they are going to behave themselves.  The last thing you want is for them to over indulge and take it upon themselves to tell your boss and colleagues exactly what you think about them.

5. Finally, don’t talk about work all night or at all if you can help it.  The only thing worse than being labelled as the office drunk is the office bore!

If you’ve got any amusing office party stories we would love to hear from you.  Sent them to officeparty@milkround.co.uk