If your schedule is anything like ours, the holiday season is one big cocktail party marathon—which might not be such a bad thing, according to a new study reported on by Mother Jones. Oregon Health & Science University recently conducted a 14-month experiment observing two sets of smallpox-vaccinated rhesus macaques, one of which was provided with an alcohol-infused cocktail while the other was not. The monkeys—who have a similar immune system to humans—were then given another vaccination. The animals which had drunk a moderate amount throughout the observation period—as opposed to those which had drunk too much or none at all—performed better in antibody response. Though “researchers can’t yet fully explain the results…one possible explanation is that modest amounts of alcohol stimulate the immune system.” So, by all means, spike that bowl of punch. Moderately, of course. [Mother Jones]