The Psychology of Christmas Porn: Some People Think Santa is a Daddy

Our sexual behaviors ebb and flow throughout the year—and so do our porn searches. It turns out that what people look for on adult sites is, in part, a function of what’s going on in the world at the time, and that includes major holidays. Porn searches change around Halloween, Valentine’s Day, and Thanksgiving. In light of this, it’s perhaps not surprising that they change around Christmas, too.

While there are a lot of different types of Christmas porn out there, one of the most popular is Santa Claus-themed pornography. That’s right: Santa Claus is coming to town, and some people are coming at the thought of it.

So why is Santa such a popular sex symbol at this time of year? Here’s a look at some of the psychological factors that might be at play.

Part of the appeal likely has to do with the transgressive nature of it. Christmas is a pretty wholesome holiday and—for many—it’s a major religious celebration. As a result, sexualizing one of the biggest symbols of Christmas is taboo. We know that doing taboo things is a very popular turn-on. For many, the idea of doing something (or someone) they’re not “supposed” to do has a tendency to make it hotter.

Taboos are erotically appealing, in part, because they’re usually a novelty—they don’t represent things we normally do, and we know that people tend to grow bored easily with sexual routines. However, there’s also some sense of mystery and uncertainty about taboos, which can further amp up excitement. Plus, when you tell people that they shouldn’t do certain things, that often leads to reactance, or an attempt to reassert one’s freedoms and individuality.

Another factor that likely makes Santa appealing is that he is kind of a “daddy” figure. He’s on the older side, has a great beard, and he has a lot of power, too. After all, he gets to decide who’s been naughty and who’s been nice—and he gets to reward and punish people accordingly. When you think about it that way, Santa is a character tailor-made for role playing in BDSM scenes. We know that BDSM in general is one of the most popular sexual fantasies, so maybe Santa porn and role play (and the countless “sexy Santa” costumes available for purchase) represent a convenient way of exploring these fantasies.

On top of all of this, Santa is someone who just says and does a lot of things that sound a little dirty, from asking people to sit on his lap to spying on them while they’re sleeping and while they’re awake (talk about a voyeur!). In other words, it’s not that hard to turn a story about Santa into something that sounds kind of sexual.

Of course, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that popular songs like “Santa Baby” (especially when delivered in a sultry voice) and “I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus” further reinforce this association between Santa and sex. Those songs have been around for a while, so the idea of a sexy Santa certainly isn’t a new invention.

Happy Holidays!

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Image Credits: Photo by hue12 photography on Unsplash

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