The old days of holiday office parties that sometimes deteriorated into embarrassing situations are, for the most part, no longer with us. That’s good. There has been, in recent years, a trend away from knockdown-dragout affairs that may make intriguing television or movie fare but can lead to a long list of problems in real life.

Things can go horribly wrong at such functions when employees drink too much, share other drugs, get out of control or make ugly comments about people, then go out on the road creating serious accident risks.

One of the most sobering aspects of office gatherings, such as those for Christmas and even Halloween, is the growing tendency for those who feel wronged to sue employers and even fellow employees. For instance, the worker who leaves a party drunk and gets into a vehicle accident can generate a lawsuit against not only himself but also the employer whose event led to the drunken behavior. But there also have been lawsuits filed by employees who say they have been offended or “damaged” by the behavior of fellow workers. That, too, can lead to big trouble for the employer.

Joyce Rosenberg of the Associated Press notes that a number of businesses nowadays are seeking alternative ways to celebrate while minimizing the chances for trouble.

Susan Stinson, a special projects manager at AlphaStaff, a human resources company based in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., says employers should decide whether they should serve alcohol at their parties. Drinking is almost always the major irritant. Further, the laws governing alcohol use and abuse should be studied and the chances for under-age drinkers considered. Sometimes employers are not liable if parties occur in restaurants rather than home offices. Others might consider hiring taxi and limousine services for those who overindulge.

An option worth considering is to have a staff work together a few hours at a charitable organization and have food while they are there. Stinson says “there are lots of good ways to celebrate holidays and they needn’t involve alcohol.”

There always can be someone who gets out of line at a workplace gathering and causes a scene or, worse, an accident. But such problems can be headed off with better planning and we can hope that is occurring more often around here.

Having fun is marvelous, and common sense can keep it from deteriorating into costly difficulty.