It's Christmas, and what with all the parties, end of year celebrations and festive goodwill, this is the perfect time of the year to be networking.

So I'm going to share with you why this is the busiest and most crucial time to be networking.

And I'll give you my top five great Christmas Networking tips to make the most of the ‘silly season' of networking !

First, do you like this photo? Taken by my good friend and official photographer, Paul Worpole - the man is a genius!

Second, do you want to know why the last three months of the year (Quarter 4) are the busiest in the networking calendar?

If you're smart, you'll appreciate that there are more opportunities to network in December than any other month of the year. Three reasons:

1. Gearing up for the New Year. Everyone wants a good start to Quarter 1 next year, so they make an extra effort to put on and attend more events than usual.
2. Christmas celebrations. The festive season adds a host of office parties, end of year drinks and Christmas gatherings to the usual networking mix.
3. Networking 'regret'. This is a term I've coined to describe that feeling that you get at the end of the year when you haven't done as much networking and connecting as you should have done throughout the year. So you put in extra effort by going to everything you can in December to make amends!

How time flies! Where has the year gone? Let's see how we can end on a high with my top five tips for networking socially at all the festive get-togethers and parties.

1. Be open to anything. You meet people around Christmas that you don't see throughout the year. You never know where your next job offer or new best friend is coming from! 90% of jobs are never advertised. 55% of jobs come from networking.
2. Put yourself about. Say 'yes' to stuff you might usually say 'no' to. It's a season to take some risks and let your hair down.
3. Stay professional. That means stay sober(ish)! Keep your business cards handy, dress appropriately and watch your mouth. Just because it's a party doesn't mean you're not being watched.
4. Project forward. This is a brilliant time to ask people questions about their goals, dreams, vision and plans. Everyone has one corner of their mind on how 2011 is going to be better than 2011. Ask them.
5. Get festive! Be enthusiastic and passionate about everything you can. About Christmas, about the holidays, about presents you're getting and giving, about plans and about business. Even if you don't feel it - people will get off on your enthusiasm!
6. Be positive! There are a lot of scrooges and humbugs around at Christmas! Bitching and moaning about how lousy the year has been. The recession, the lack of opportunities, the cutbacks, the weather. So remain upbeat, focus on the positive, be enthusiastic and ensure you're fun to be around. Smile lots and be happy!
7. Stay as sober as possible! Your measure of how good a time you had should not be how little of it you can remember the next day! More reputations are wrecked at parties and when drunk than anything else. Stay off the drink as much as you can - just enough to loosen up. When the drink goes down, your guard goes down with it! Words slip, secrets escape, allegiances are betrayed and fame can turn to infamy. Be careful!
8. Remember who you meet! In the flurry of parties, events and end of year office mayhem, your celebrating and networking will be a blur,. You'll forget names, faces, places, people. You'll forget to ask for cards, emails or contact details. And you won't be able to follow up.
9. Follow up. Whether it's an email, text, thank you card, phone call or further meeting, great networkers treat these festive interactions as relationship starters. And remember these are long-term relationships, not one night stands!
10. Stay in the conversation. It's so easy to get distracted with the music, the dancing, the silly outfits, the gossip, the decorations, the food, the multitude of people and the seasonal good will. Work hard to listen well, be attentive and take an interest in people.
11. Take off your running shoes. Some 'social butterflies' make it their business to run round the room talking to everyone. They think quantity over quality. As I often say in my motivational talks, don't count your conversations, but make your conversations count! You don't have to talk to one person all night, and you don't have to talk to 50 people all night. Get a balance.
12. Think long term. You don't have to meet your next partner, husband, wife, client, boss, employee RIGHT NOW! Next year is a brand new start. Full of hope and possibilities. Your best friend right now is somebody you ever knew once! So take a long term view - make a decision to do more of this kind of stuff next year. There's always an abundance of events, clubs, parties, gatherings and opportunities if you get off your behind and make it happen.

Now, happy partying and have a merry Christmas and a fantastic New Year!