Some of you will have had your Christmas parties already so we’re guessing that the damage has already been done or you managed to juggle the situation without too much trouble.

For everyone else, here is some lighthearted advice from ATL :

"Casino Themes . Casino-themed parties are landmines. People lose all reason when they hear that a "Dinner for Two at Rosa Mexicano " or an iPod Nano is at stake, and I’ve personally seen the power of fake money in unmasking serious gambling problems. I urge those who are likely to get, er "intense" at the fake craps table to calm down, step away and immediately get a life.

Dress Code . The safest bet is to show up wearing exactly what you wore to work. Don’t pull a secretary and get changed in the handicapped bathroom into some Dorothy Zbornak sequined tunic. Don’t premiere your new Diesel jeans and ridiculous Express bolero-inspired button down . (And avoid outfits like the one above)

Drinking Level . The worst feeling in the world is waking up and trying to figure out what the hell happened the night before. While it is perfectly acceptable to get drunk and "do things" outside the office or on weekends at random bars , I strenuously, STRENUOUSLY advise no more than two drinks at holiday parties, unless one of those drinks involves Patron, in which case a drink limit of one drink should be imposed in conjunction with a mandatory party exit time of 10pm. Trust me on this.

For more tips including works after-parties, free bars and …

After-Parties . DO NOT ATTEND AFTER-PARTIES. The only thing that comes of them is that you will see things involving your coworkers that you never wanted to see and be forever bound to your fellow partygoers with this secret and terrifying knowledge. There is a bloodline ."

This might seem a little risk-averse for the party-animals amongst you. If so, you might want play a little faster and looser…

" Marin’s advice is a great way to remain a nameless, faceless associate, indistinguishable from the guy down the hall who billed 75 more hours than you. You’ll have your job in the morning, and beyond that, nobody can say.

If you want to get ahead, you have to take risks and holiday parties are a great opportunity to do that because you can always fall back on the "it was the freaking holiday party" excuse…" Click to see the rest…

Some other useful pointers from The Missy M Missives :

1. Beware of the free bar.

This is a poison chalice of the highest order.

2. Do not get stuck next to management in the seating arrangements

Sometimes this is hard. My managing director for six years running would make sure that in the table layout my name tag was next to his. One year I snuck in and swapped it, but he insisted it was swapped back. He was a perv, though and maybe not all bosses are like that.

3. Do not go onto a club afterwards.

Given that most Christmas parties start at lunchtime, you really need to be home and out of harm’s way by late evening.

4.Never, ever, ever, ever, ever, cop off with anyone you work with.

I cannot stress this enough.

Firstly , EVERYONE will know about it instantly.

Secondly, even if the affection was genuine at the time, you’ve got at least a week of no-work between the "happening" and going back to work guaranteeing extreme awkwardness that first day back.

Thirdly , you don’t want to ruin your Christmas with horrid flashbacks and ruminations of whether you should hand in your notice along with the drunken janitor.

5. The Special Fifth Survival Rule

Of course, you could just not go to the party, making all of the above redundant, but this requires extreme cunning.