’Tis the season for sharing — germs, that is.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, seasonal flu outbreaks can start as early as October and last through May, peaking between December and February. Happy holidays, folks.

So how do you survive the holidays without picking up one of the many viruses that are circulating out there, including the cold and the flu? One thing you can do is wash your hands.

“Washing your hands with soap and clean water — which is an easy task we can all do — reduces the bacteria on your hands by approximately 95 percent,” said Jessica Thompson, occupational health nurse for Denver Water’s employee health clinic, which performs annual physicals, provides health screenings and treats minor on-the-job injuries.

CDC says the best way to eliminate dirt, harmful chemicals and germs is to wash your hands with water and soap for at least 20 seconds. Hand sanitizers containing 60% alcohol are a great alternative if you don’t have clean water and soap handy (ha! handy), but they do not eliminate all germs.

Handwashing Awareness Week occurs in early December, but these tips are good all winter long. Here are some familiar workplace hand-washing personalities — and how much water they require.

What hand-washing personality type are you? Remember, you really need water to wash your hands effectively, but you can use only what you need.

The naturalist prefers to accept nature as it comes.

Lightning fast speed gets the speedster in and out in no time.

The germ destroyer sings the "Happy Birthday" song like a pro, using more water than needed.

The perfectionist kills germs and saves water!