How to Adequately Make Your Presence Felt at Your Company's Holiday Party

Depending on how you behave yourself at your company's end-of-year party you could be the employee that has to deal with the embarrassment and guilt of getting out of control the next day or you could be the one that leaves the awkward apologies to some other employee.

If you want to leave a good impression in front of your coworkers and most importantly your boss, you will need to have good timing, a substantial pre-party meal, an appropriate outfit, a professional behavior, good social skills with an upbeat attitude, stay sober and the buzz breaker, water.

Even if going to the company's holiday party doesn't sound appealing, you should go. Look at it as a staff gathering, the only difference will be the presence of alcohol. Keep in mind that even though it is a party, in reality it's more of a work function, so you can take it as a mandatory attendance event.

If you're planning to invite someone else, make sure that the "plus one" is an option. Usually the invites will give you this information, but if it doesn't, you should confirm with the organizer.

It's always appropriate to arrive after the party begins, but not too late. The appropriate time to leave is when people start to leaving.

Have a good meal at home or wherever you find it appropriate before get to the party. Drinks are a given at these events but dinner really isn't, unless the invitation specified it. The main reason why you should have a filling meal is because you want to be able to have a drink or two without feeling tipsy and so you won't have to hog on the appetizers.

Also, if they have dipping hors d'oeuvres, don't ever double dip! You'll only be making yourself look tacky, unhygienic and you'll seem like you lack manners.

If the invitation doesn't guide you as far as the dress code for the party, take the initiative to ask about it, and maybe even ask them to send a mass email to let everyone know. Wear attire that's tasteful and appropriate. Girls shouldn't dress like they're going on a night out in Vegas you don't want to give the wrong impression.

Don't hesitate to mingle with others and introduce yourself to people that you don't usually interact with. Corporate holiday parties are perfect events to network with those execs that are tipsy and happy, take advantage of the good vibe, mostly if they don't know you yet.

Water can be your best friend in any party, make sure to drink a glass in between cocktails. If your spouse or your other half is there, keep PDAs to a minimum.

Find the right balance between having fun and keeping things professional. The corporate rules still apply, don't gossip or get hammered and by no means have any sexual contact with a co-worker.

Keep any conversations on a positive and light agenda. Don't make the mistake of talking about office issues, programs, or to-do things. It's suppose to be a moment where you mingle with people on a more personal level and no one wants to feel like they're at work.

Since you'll be mingling and meeting people throughout the evening it is recommended that hold your drink in your left hand. You want your other hand to be dry and clean to shake hands with others.

It is common to be caught up with the emotion of the holidays, but keep the "Merry Christmas" wishes to yourself, you have to take into consideration that other people don't celebrate Santa and they might get offended.

Lastly, make sure to make a run around and thank the party organizers for the event and if possible thank the owner for throwing the party for the company. In this economy many companies aren't even doing holiday parties anymore, so show some appreciation. This won't take much effort or time, but it will make an impact and you'll leave a class act impression on others.