Planning is key to flu-free parties

The good news is that while it is true that mingling over punch and canapes can help spread the H1N1 virus, health and entertaining experts say it's possible to throw a holiday party without making everyone wear surgical masks and hazmat suits.

It's a question of managing risk.

"Party. Party cautiously," advises Dr. Stephen Morse, professor of epidemiology at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health.

That means keep things clean, be careful with finger food, forget the punch bowl and maybe even reconsider the mistletoe.

And remember to have fun, too.

"Just like we say with terrorists, you really don't want to let the flu win," said Dr. Shira Doron, an infectious disease physician at Tufts Medical Center in Boston.