TIME was when Christmas parties were actually held near Christmas, but over the years they’ve sneaked further forward, and some spill over into the new year.

If you go unprepared into a month of celebrations, you could be destroyed, so drawing on my decade as a celebrity journalist here are my top ten tips for surviving the festive party season.

1) Denial is a river in Egypt. Even if your intentions are to have ‘just one’, stock up on coconut water, rehydrating sports drinks, Alka Seltzer and vitamin C. If you’ve found your poison, then you need to find your antidote and salvation is in the preparation.

2) Some people opt for dry January but this is the definition of binge-drinking. Moderation is best and research has shown that a couple of dry days a week may be better.

3) Sometimes a wine percentage makes all the difference, so whether you’re hosting the party, bringing a bottle or selecting from a menu, the difference between 12 per cent and 14 per cent can be key.

4) A rookie mistake is having a glass in your hand all night. Accessories include bags, scarves, and cocktail rings – not wine glasses.

5) Do as George Clooney does and drink vodka with soda. His theory: ‘Hydrate while you dehydrate.’ 6) Protect your liver with a Milkthistle supplement.

7) Good morning-after restorative foods are bananas, eggs and porridge.

8) And ladies, quick beauty fixes include root-boosting powder for limp hair (I favoured Redken), eye drops, tinted moisturiser, white pencil in the corner of the eye and, if I didn't have enough time to re-do all of my makeup before going out, I would just take off my mascara with a wet wipe and reapply that.

9) Anything that means fussing less later on is good, so a pre-season lash and brow tint or eyelash extensions help. A good DIY manicure can last two weeks, same as a professional one.

10) For post-season skin recovery use a very gentle exfoliator, face mask, eye masks and moisturiser. Our Beauty Editor recommended Shu Uemura.

Good luck.