It's that time of the year again when the office Christmas party is looming. But how do you make sure that one night of relaxing and letting go with your work colleagues doesn't turn into disaster on the career and romance front?

Remember, the Christmas party is still a business event, and manners have to be watched and respected if your work relationships are to be preserved.

Here are some survival tips to keep in mind as you prepare for the upcoming office Christmas party:

1. Don’t drink too much...

While you are meant to have fun at the Christmas party, it is also a time when you are on show to management and your work colleagues. The last thing you want to do is to get sloshed and start making a scene. To prevent such a disaster from happening, pace yourself and make sure you have eaten, or are eating, something to soak up the alcohol. If you are starting to feel tipsy, hit the water or soft drinks, or call it a night and head home.

2. Dress appropriately...

If you’re the type of person who strives to look good and feel sexy in your free time, the office Christmas party is not necessarily the best place to showcase this side. If you want to turn heads, turn heads by dressing appropriately and thinking "accidentally sexy" or "sophisticated career-woman sexy", but just keep in mind that your attire helps establish your professional credibility. The last thing you want your colleagues and bosses to be talking about is what you didn't wear.

3.  On pulling...

Office infatuations and lingering romantic tensions often break out and culminate at the office Christmas party. The event is a great opportunity for colleagues to mingle and take their relationship to another level. Many people have crushes on their work colleagues, but you’d be better off meeting people on dating sites. You need to be really careful and think about whether pulling a colleague is what you really want. Think long and hard about what the outcome of such a move would be. If you decide to go ahead, make sure that your confidentiality is protected and that you do not become the subject of office gossip, or worse, find yourself in the midst of a romance-related job crisis.