Information Security & US & Life & Love & Fashion & Hacking & Passion

It's a once-a-year opportunity to have a fantastic time. And damage your career.

There's a legendary story they often tell this time of year at a large New York public relations firm. It's about when a new hire fresh out of college had too much to drink at the company holiday party. She shared a cab home to the same neighborhood with one of the firm's vice presidents, and, well, she barfed in his lap.

Probably not what you'd call a good career move.

Don't be that person this year. Be merry and festive--have a few drinks and laugh with your colleagues. But don't overindulge. If you get drunk and act foolishly, no one will forget. No one needs any blemishes on his scorecard this year, when layoffs loom at so many employers.

Instead, use this as an opportunity to mingle with higher-ups and staffers in other departments. Holiday parties are a great opportunity to meet important people at your company in a less formal setting.

In Pictures: How To Behave At Your Office Party

"The most important thing employees should always remember regarding office holiday parties is, regardless of where the party is held, it is an extension of the workplace, and you need to behave accordingly," says Lori Erickson, vice president of human resources at Monster.com.

At Bliss PR in Manhattan, founder John Bliss doesn't take chances. For more than 15 years he has required his employees to eat at a pre-party pizza dinner. He orders enough pizza for the 30-member staff at around 4:30 and watches to make sure everyone has a few slices. It's the best guarantee possible that no one will drink on an empty stomach.

"It makes sure people have something in them like blotting paper before starting the party," he says. "That way, you have fun without getting embarrassed."

Companies like Bliss have a lot at stake. When they invite clients to their parties, the last thing they need is a drunken staffer. That might be less of a concern this year than in the past, though. With budgets tighter than ever, less alcohol is being served. Only 71% of all parties will offer alcoholic drinks this year, according to an annual survey on holiday celebrations by the executive search firm Battalia Winston. Alcohol service hit a high in 2000, when 90% of firms served booze, according to the 20 years of Battalia reports.

The dwindling amount of alcohol reflects the state of the economy. "Throughout the years, we've learned that the percentage of company parties is directly linked to the health of the economy," says Dale Winston, Battalia Winston's chief executive.

It's likely a blessing in disguise. Annmarie Woods recalls a holiday gathering a few years ago for her sales team at a leading financial services firm. The group began the evening at a downtown restaurant and then headed to a dance club. This being a celebratory evening, their boss picked up the bill for a limousine to get them from the restaurant to the club. While en route, one of the staffers got sick and ended up vomiting into her purse.

"The next day at the meeting everyone was talking about it. Their opinion of her had been altered," Woods says.

Winter brings an avalanche of year-end celebrations. Party season is at an all-time high, and, whether you're schmoozing with co-workers or mingling at a friend's holiday celebration, you become a pro at small talk.

"Can you believe it's almost New Year's already?"

"Is it just me or has it been colder than usual?"

"What do you do for a living?"

And then you're stuck listening to some workplace story that will make you wish the eggnog were stronger.

You don't mind hearing someone's work stories; you just hear same boring ones year after year. Honestly, you're just as guilty. (That hilarious misunderstanding regarding a decimal point might have had the other folks in the office rolling on the floor, but don't expect the same reaction from everyone else.)

Until you can think of some plausible reason to skip the myriad of holiday gatherings, prepare yourself to make more idle chatter. But if you're lucky, you'll encounter a few guests who have unusual jobs and even more unusual stories.

Here's a list of eight occupations you should hope to come across at a social gathering. (Admittedly, some of the most fascinating stories they have to tell you might make you lose your appetite for the hors d'oeuvres, but they're worth it.)

1. Funeral home director

Why: Even if you never watched an episode of "Six Feet Under," you can imagine the kind of unusual situations funeral home directors encounter. You'll find out just how fascinating the funeral business can be.

Stories you'll hear: Unusual funeral service requests; memorable deaths.

2. Wedding planner

Why: Few events have such a variety of emotions: Joy, frustration, anger, confusion, fear. Nuptials bring out the best, worst and unexpected of even the most loving families.

Stories you'll hear: Thousands of flowers flown in from obscure locales; left-at-the-altar heartbreak; mishaps with swans and doves at the ceremony.

3. Pediatrician

Why: Children are unpredictable and parents are panicky. Think about some of the unexplainable things you did as a child and how new parents worry about every little thing. Pediatricians get the brunt of this chaos.

Stories you'll hear: Baby swallows a priceless coin; worried moms and dads calling the doctor's home several times a night; toddler puts a marble up his nose.

4. Paramedic

Why: Those same children who end up at the pediatrician's office eventually grow up and do similarly strange things as adults. Paramedics respond to emergencies that might be tragic, awe-inspiring or humorous. Regardless, they see things you'd never imagine.

Stories you'll hear: A kid gets his arm stuck in a vending machine; a victim who somehow survives a massive car wreck; an adult puts a marble up her nose.

5. Photographer

Why: A photographer's life might not seem ripe for exciting tales, but it is. Portrait studios, brides and grooms, print and online publications, and crime scene investigation units employ photographers. Each client gives a photographer a new set of entertaining tales.

Stories you'll hear: Petty drama during a family portrait; all-night partying with rock stars; scary experiences documenting a war.

6. Executive assistant

Why: All assistants have horror stories of putting up with ridiculous demands, but executive assistants belong to their own exclusive club. The responsibilities of assistants working for high-level executives will make your jaw drop and your blood pressure rise.

Stories you'll hear: A CEO whose itinerary depends on that morning's horoscope; having to answer a needy boss's calls in the middle of the night; embarrassing moments with high-ranking business leaders.

7. Hair stylist

Why: Hair stylists often form such close bonds with their clients that they become confidants. Customers can be so loyal to one stylist or barber that appointments become sessions to vent or gossip about family and work.

Stories you'll hear: Haircuts gone wrong; tearful clients; personal confessions that should've been told to a therapist or a priest, not a stylist.

8. 911 dispatcher

Why: Most calls made to 911 concern critical situations that might not make for pleasant storytelling. Many people, however, mistake 911 for a catch-all hotline that will solve any problem, no matter how ridiculous it is. The calls that make dispatchers roll their eyes in frustration are the ones that make great conversation.

Stories you'll hear: Caller claims her fast-food hamburger is undercooked; caller just needs driving directions; caller needs help cooking her Thanksgiving turkey

When the Super Bowl festivities roll into Tampa late next month, the party blitz and corporate spending that surround the big day may take a hit because of the economic crisis.

Sponsors have been slower to commit. Companies are scaling back plans, carefully watching expenses, bringing fewer guests and pushing back travel bookings. The private party circuit will be missing a few staple destinations, including the annual Sports Illustrated fete.

"The decision making process is just a little slower," Reid Sigmon, executive director of the host committee, said of the efforts to attract sponsors. The committee has reached about 80 percent of its sponsorship goal - a level it has been stuck at since October.

"A lot of companies are kicking the tire, so to speak," he said.

Even so, the Feb. 1 game will sell out. And, to be sure, there will still be plenty of star-studded events: Maxim, ESPN The Magazine, and Penthouse all said they have parties in the works. The Lingerie Bowl, a televised alternative halftime event featuring semi-dressed models, will hold three games and a red-carpet affair. Beer giant Anheuser-Busch (nyse: BUD - news - people ) is sponsoring concerts and other events.

And there will be a bevy of official NFL activities, including the weeklong NFL Experience, which features interactive games and autograph sessions.

The host committee is hoping for 100,000 visitors, the same as in 2001 when Tampa last had the game, but NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said the number may drop.

Russian Federation

Anna Harvey, Mario Testino, and Aliona Doletskaya   
more photos ›

Alex Kiselev and Maia Tarkhan-Mouravi, the London-based, Russian-Georgian team behind the Kisa label, are pretty excited that their wares are now being stocked in Moscow as well as across Europe and the United States, and on Sunday night in Paris they celebrated their Russian expansion in appropriate fashion: i.e., with cocktails and caviar at perennial hot spot Caviar Kaspia. "I'm not at all hungry," said model Lily Donaldson as she scooped up an oligarch's ransom in beluga. "But who says no to caviar?" Given the occasion and the venue, talk inevitably turned to Mother Russia. "I like the efficiency of their drinking," said stylist Charlotte Stockdale. "Just a bottle of vodka on the table, no mixers, no carbs, no sugar. Just the good stuff." At the end of the night, eco-minded Kiselev dispersed tiny USB hubs containing this season's lookbook to guests like Barbara Bush, Olympia Scarry, and Eugenie Niarchos. Doubtful anyone was rushing home to log on to their laptops, however. It's Paris fashion week, after all.