Temperatures have plummeted. Clocks are set back. Any day now, your inbox will be inundated with an influx of holiday invitations. One invite will likely be tied to celebrating the season with your colleagues. Here are five sure-fire ways to flop at the office holiday party -- so, don't.

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• DON'T: Bitch about your job

  Regardless of how crummy your week is going or how much you hate whatever project is on the go, your office party is not the time or place to vent. Gloom is contagious, so don't selfishly bring your colleagues down. Put on a smile and leave the work bitching for another time.

• DON'T: Text or talk through the president's speech

  It doesn't matter if this is the first or 10th time you will hear your president's annual holiday address. Be a good audience and give them your undivided attention.

• DON'T: Get blazingly drunk

  There is always someone who indulges so much that the legend of their drunkenness follows them into the following year. Don't be that person. By all means, get festive over some punch or eggnog, but don't be the topic of tomorrow's water cooler talk. Celebrate moderately.

• DON'T: Only talk to your work bestie

  The temptation to catch up with your office friends is enticing, as they are likely the people you feel more comfortable with in a social setting. Make a point to speak to people outside of your day-to-day circle and invite other people into conversations throughout the night.

• DON'T: Be extremely over or underdressed

  Two minutes investigating the recommended dress code is time well spent. You'll want to be on the smart side of the sartorial spectrum, which likely means a notch or two above how you'd dress if you were interviewing for the job you currently hold. Nothing too casual, too short, too tight, or with too many reindeer on it.

Bitch about your job
Regardless of how crummy your week is going or how much you hate whatever project is on the go, your office party is not the time or place to vent. Gloom is contagious, so don't selfishly bring your colleagues down. Put on a smile and leave the work bitching for another time.

Text or talk through the president's speech
It doesn't matter if this is the first or 10th time you will hear your president's annual holiday address. Be a good audience and give them your undivided attention.

Get blazingly drunk
There is always someone who indulges so much that the legend of their drunkenness follows them into the following year. Don't be that person. By all means, get festive over some punch or eggnog, but don't be the topic of tomorrow's water cooler talk. Celebrate moderately.

Only talk to your work bestie
The temptation to catch up with your office friends is enticing, as they are likely the people you feel more comfortable with in a social setting. Make a point to speak to people outside of your day-to-day circle and invite other people into conversations throughout the night.

Be extremely over or underdressed
Two minutes investigating the recommended dress code is time well spent. You'll want to be on the smart side of the sartorial spectrum, which likely means a notch or two above how you'd dress if you were interviewing for the job you currently hold. Nothing too casual, too short, too tight, or with too many reindeer on it.

Follow Karen Cleveland on Twitter: www.twitter.com/schoolfinishing