Dating: Want to date a colleague? The Office Christmas Party Dating Survival Guide

Got your eye on the cute guy from marketing? Or have you spent the past few weeks hanging around the water-cooler waiting for the hot receptionist to saunter past...?

We all know they are �out of bounds�, mixing business with pleasure and all that, but as that�s unlikely to stop the majority of us, let�s work with it.

With festive season looming, the staff Christmas bash may well be the ideal opportunity to get in some festive flirting action and maybe even add a notch to the bed post tally for 2007. But one too many drinks and you may end up swigging champers straight from the bottle in front of the boss followed by a little festive jig on top of the board-room table. Note to self, this isn�t the ideal way to attract the attention of the office cutie.

Drill our Christmas Party Survival Guide into your mind well in advance of hitting the festivities and you�re sure to make a good impression.

1. Eye contact; make some, and smile at the same time. But don�t stare them into submission with a lunatic grin.

2. Have fun, and though of course we all know that we�re much more attractive the more we drink, please remember that no one finds the gibbering, dribbling, mashed up wreck in the corner the least bit appealing.

3. Always carry your own stash of mistletoe � you never know when it�s going to be needed!

4. Have some breathe mints on standby, in case it goes oh too well � see 3 above.

5. Have a little joke or anecdote up your sleeve to save any embarrassing silences. And while self deprecating humour can work to your advantage, don�t make yourself out to be an idiot. Think Hugh Grant rather than Will Ferrell.

6. If well meaning colleagues introduce you to the least likely person you would EVER date, be up-front. It gets more awkward the longer you leave it. You never know you could both be thinking the same thing and turn out to be great mates. Or something.

7. Positive body image � think yourself gorgeous � BE gorgeous!

8. Enjoy yourself, we all love Happy Harry�s or Henrietta�s!

9. Spend some quality �me� time over the next couple of weeks � the better you know yourself the more comfortable you�ll be in your own skin. Other people will pick up on this too.

And one for the guys, if you do over-indulge in the festive tipple, avoid at all costs jabbering the following... And, ladies, if you hear these muttered in your direction� RUN LIKE THE WIND!

1. Let�s do breakfast tomorrow. Should I call you or nudge you?
2. Hi, let me interrupt you for a moment. The word of the day is "legs." Let�s go back to my place and spread the word.
3. Hi, have you got a little Irish / German / Spanish / Italian / etc. in you? Do you want some?
4. Want to come see my hard drive? I promise it isn�t 3.5 inches and it ain�t floppy.
5. Gorgeous hair. But it�d be even better brushing against my thighs.