Holiday Shopping Ideas For The Sexy People In Your Life
December 14, 2018 by Justin Lehmiller
If you aren’t quite finished with your holiday shopping or (like me) haven’t even started yet, allow me to make your job a little easier this year. If you’re in need of shopping inspiration for the sexy people in your life, here are some sex-themed gift ideas (mostly) inspired by science for everyone on your list.
Give the Gift of Sexual Communication (and Orgasms!)
Many people find it challenging to communicate about their sexual fantasies and desires. This stems from the fact that many of us received poor sex education that taught us one and only one sexual communication skill: just say no. Unfortunately, that isn’t particularly helpful when it comes to telling your partner what you want. And that’s a big part of the reason why I wrote my latest book, Tell Me What You Want: The Science of Sexual Desire and How It Can Help You Improve Your Sex Life.
This book explores the most common sex fantasies and where they come from in an attempt to help reduce a lot of the shame people have about them. However, Tell Me What You Want also offers practical advice and information when it comes to sharing and acting on your fantasies so that you can feel more confident making the leap from fantasy to reality in cases where it is mutually desired. This book has the potential to enhance your sex life in numerous ways. Research has found that couples who talk about and act out their sex fantasies are more sexually satisfied. Likewise, research also reveals that women who share and act on their fantasies have more orgasms, which means that getting in touch with our fantasies has the potential to help close the orgasm gap! How awesome is that?
Give the Gift of Touch
Instead of purchasing a gift certificate to the spa for a massage, consider a more personal, “hands-on” present this year by learning some actual massage techniques that you can try out on your partner. Touch is a vital part of happy and healthy relationships because it promotes intimacy and can help relieve stress (read more about the power of touch here)–plus, massage is an easy way to add more touch to any relationship. My go-to recommendation for massage technique is MELT: Massage for Couples, an online video series taught by Australian massage therapist Denis Merkas. MELT is the perfect holiday gift because it’s the kind of present that keeps on giving all year round. And, best of all, it’s currently on sale for readers of the blog.
Give the Gift of Sexy Swag
I recently launched the all-new Sex and Psychology store, where you can get your hands on some fun and sexy swag, including tank tops, tee-shirts, mugs, stickers, totes, and sweatshirts depicting the most common sexual fantasies in America in the form of word clouds. I’m pleased to say that a portion of the proceeds for items purchased through the Sex and Psychology store goes directly to Planned Parenthood, the largest provider of sex education and sexual health services in the United States. Get some cool stuff AND make a difference at the same time!
Give Away Some Sexy Books
Everyone needs some good, all-around sex books on their shelves, right?. One classic you can’t go wrong with is Mary Roach’s Bonk: The Curious Coupling of Science and Sex. It will teach you more than you ever wanted to know about the history of sex research, but it’s also just a really entertaining read.
A few discoveries I added to my recommended reading list this year include Better Sex Through Mindfulness: How Women Can Cultivate Desire, UNTRUE: Why Nearly Everything We Believe About Women, Lust, and Infidelity Is Wrong and How the New Science Can Set Us Free, and The All-or-Nothing Marriage: How the Best Marriages Work.
Other great books about the science of sex that are always on my list include: Perv: The Sexual Deviant in All of Us, The Chemistry Between Us: Love, Sex, and the Science of Attraction, and Why Is Sex Fun? The Evolution of Human Sexuality.
Suggestions for a White Elephant or Naughty Santa Gift Exchange
Just looking for a fun or humorous holiday sex gift? You just can’t go wrong with Pornogami: A Guide to the Ancient Art of Paper Folding for Adults. I mean, who doesn’t want to learn erotic origami? I own a copy of this one and it’s definitely a fun book!
Or how about Bi-Curious George: An Unauthorized Parody? In this book, Curious George is all grown up and he’s no longer just curious–he’s bi-curious.
Looking for a fun cookbook? I suggest 50 Shades of Chicken: A Parody in a Cookbook, which contains the most seductive chicken recipes you’ll find anywhere (side note: my mom got a real kick out of this when I bought it for her last year!).
If you’re searching for something a little more holiday-themed, consider some Christmas condoms. That’s right–instead of a Christmas wreath, you
can give away a Christmas sheath.
And if you want to make your White Elephant exchange a teachable moment, give the gift of herpes or chlamydia (not literally, of course). You can buy plush toys that mimic the appearance of these actual microbes, which come complete with an image of the microscopic organism the toy was modeled after. Or, buy the entire set of microbes, which even comes with a plush dose of penicillin. I have them sitting on a shelf in my office!
For even more shopping ideas, check out Sex and Psychology store and Amazon’s Sexual Wellness Store.
Happy holiday shopping!
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Gift Box Image Credit: 123RF
**If you purchase any products using the links above, a portion of the sales price will go toward supporting this blog. If you’re making other purchases on Amazon, you can also support Sex and Psychology by using this link.
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Dr. Justin Lehmiller
Founder & Owner of Sex and PsychologyDr. Justin Lehmiller is a social psychologist and Research Fellow at The Kinsey Institute. He runs the Sex and Psychology blog and podcast and is author of the popular book Tell Me What You Want. Dr. Lehmiller is an award-winning educator, and a prolific researcher who has published more than 50 academic works.
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