How to Survive the Holidays

Note, I didn't put how to survive Christmas - because holiday means any holiday - and I think it applies to everything. But, especially during the holiday season that falls in November through the middle of January for me - because birthday and football season ending is party of the holiday season :)
I have stayed the same weight so far - which is better than I normally do during these three months of the year. I was thinking of some tips that I could share - here they are. I hope these help:
1. Eat before you go to a party. Never go to a party hungry because you will be more tempted to eat anything and everything in sight.
2. See if there is any fruit or veggies there (and a light dip, like hummus or salsa, not ranch or cream based dips). Most people will now will bring that. Fill your plate up with those - and then you won't have room for the sweet or fried stuff.
3. Always have a glass of water in your hand. Or a diet drink. If you are a drinker - pick one light drink for the night and stick with that. If I have water in my hand I again have less hands to hold a plate.
4. Don't hover around the snack table. Move conversations away from the main table of food. Then you won't be tempted to reach to the yummy stuff.
5. Take pictures. Bring your camera and snap photos of the festivities. If you are snapping pictures, you are probably going to be moving around and you'll have your hands full with the camera and not with a plate.
6. Eat a fun holiday treat. Don't eat something that you can eat year round. If you are going to eat something decadent, make sure that it is something that is special to that time of year. Like candy cane fudge instead oreos. Eggnog cheesecake instead of chocolate cake. That way, if you have it only once a year, it will make you more appreciative of it - and you may be less likely to eat such a big piece!
7. Always exercise. Parties are a huge time filler. You have to get ready, go somewhere, hang out for just the right amount of time, and come home, unwind, etc. I find even going to the gym to run 30 minutes takes a lot of stress away, burns about 200 calories, and lets me breathe and think about something else besides the stress of everyday life this time of year.
8. If you get a chance to bring something to a party, make something healthy. That way you know you'll have something you can eat and not feel guilty about. Healthy doesn't have to be raw veggies. Last night I brought multigrain wheat thins and roasted red pepper hummus. Yum.
9. Drink plenty of water during the day. That way if you do eat more, you'll still be flushing your system, and you won't retain all that water. Between stress, too much eating, not enough exercising, your clothes may feel tighter just because you are retaining water.
10. Remember, this too shall pass and life is fleeting anyway. You can take that either way you want. You can a) know that life is fleeting and eat everything you want and eat drink and be merry or b) you can realize that there will be another party, you don't have to stuff yourself tonight, and that is that extra oreo or handful of chex mix going to make your life so much better?

Enjoy. Do you have any holiday eating/exercising/staying healthy tips?