We hate to bring this up before you’ve even been to your New Year’s Eve bashes, but it’s not long before the festivities will all be over and it’s time to return to the world of work again.

No more getting up at whatever time you like and nodding off in front of the telly in the afternoon - but you could ease yourself back into the real world by adding some cheery accessories to your office attire.

If you’re used to wearing trousers all the time, why not try a skirt and some patterned tights? Fashion hosiery, as long as it’s not too garish, can look great with smart work clothes.

Amy Verner, fashion expert at the Globe and Mail, agreed. She said that some patterns will add a welcome splash of colour while still looking professional, with black or grey being the most suitable.

"High statement hosiery needs to be offset by classic pieces. So if you’re going out on a limb with a print, make sure to keep everything else basic black," she urged.

We love Emilio Cavallini’s Metallic Pie De Poule Tights, which have a great houndstooth print with a splash of metallic threading for a classic but funky look.

If you’re nervous about trying patterns and prints, why not try going for a different colour opaque instead? Purple can be a great alternative to brown or black in winter and will ensure you look both capable and fun in the office!

Unless you’ve been asleep under a rock for the whole of 2009, then you’ll be aware that everyone who’s anyone has been rocking brightly coloured tights over the last few months.

They are a fantastic trend, as they can totally transform an outfit with minimal effort - you can even make old outfits look like new thanks to some cleverly applied hosiery.

However, if you’re going for a particularly bright colour, then you should definitely keep the rest of your ensemble simple.

Style expert Courtney Hollands, writing for Boston.com’s StylePhile, said that when she wore yellow legging recently, she did so with a plain grey jumper dress in order to avoid looking like Will Ferrell in Elf, keeping accessories down to a minimum and footwear innocuous.

"Go for a dark, solid dress and leather boots or flats … Be bold, friends, but don’t overdo it," she insisted.

Sound advice indeed - if you’ve found the perfect plain outfit and now want to jazz it up with coloured tights, you could try Jonathan Aston at MyTights.com.

This company makes an array of coloured hosiery sure to suit your every mood!

The weather outside may be frightful, but you don’t have to stay by the delightful fire in order to stay cosy this festive season - because 2009 has truly been the year of all kinds of hosiery.

Some of the fashionistas at Sugarscape.com noted that while Christmas and New Year’s Eve parties usually mean that we girls freeze in the name of fashion, this is not the case this time around, because tights and socks of all kinds are the must-have accessory for all sorts of outfits.

"There’s socks, tights, footless tights, thigh highs, knee highs, opaque, wool, there’s even leg warmers! You name it, they’re out there," they enthused.

Henry Holland’s Mock Stockings tights and black over the knee socks were recommended for daring divas, while patterned tights and knee high socks were also suggested as being bang on trend.

We just love over the knee socks - for a really luxurious pair, try Wolford’s Velvet Over Knees from MyTights.com. These are made from beautiful velvet yarn and are also really strong and durable.

How many times have you been out shopping and bought a great new colourful dress for a special event, only to bottle out at the last minute and go to the party in your trusty LBD?

Hilary Alexander, fashion director at the Telegraph, said she’s seen it happen more times than she’s had hot dinners, because everyone has an LBD that makes them feel fabulous with minimum effort.

However, since so many girls do this, the chances are you’re not going to be the only one wearing a black frock at whatever event you’re going to.

That’s why she recommends that you should spice it up by adding some choice accessories.

You could opt for a statement belt a la Kate Moss, or some luxurious hair ribbons like Victoria Beckham.

Or, you could go for our favourite accessory and opt for lace, cobweb or fishnet tights.

The perfect choice could be Jonathan Aston’s Rose Glass Lace and Opaque Tights, which have a beautiful floral lace pattern up the back of the leg and a purple panel on the front for ladylike glamour.

And as you can see from the picture, they go great with an LBD!

Obviously, we’ve been raving about all kinds of hosiery and funky fashion tights for years, but we’ve loved 2009 as the entire world of fashion has joined in.

The celebs really got on board with statement tights after they were all over the catwalks back in the spring and now it’s winter, they are making even more of a splash on everyone’s legs than the rest of their outfits!

The Mirror’s Celebs magazine spotted a whole host of famous faces rocking patterned tights this month, with Henry Holland for Pretty Polly a popular choice for Agyness Deyn, Una from The Saturdays and, erm, Cheryl from Hollyoaks.

However, there were so many other styles and designs that it proved really anything goes - Juliette Lewis wore red tights with glittery circles, Taylor Swift sported herringbone-patterned lovelies and Sadie Frost went for white lace to create a classy, Jackie O-style look.

There you go - proof that you should definitely experiment with patterned tights if you’ve never tried them! They’re fun, bang on-trend and they might even keep your pins warm as you head from party to party this Christmas.