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 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 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
Consider a “hands-on” present this year by learning some massage techniques that you can use 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.
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, face masks, and sweatshirts. There are several fun product lines to choose from, including:
- Let’s Talk About Sex! (for anyone with sex on the brain)
- Sex Geek (for any student of sex)
- Sapiosexual (for anyone who’s turned on by intelligence—a little, or a LOT)
- Sex and Psychology (for all of the fans)
- Tell Me What You Want (for the fantasy fanatics)
I’m pleased to say that a portion of the proceeds for items purchased through the Sex and Psychology store goes 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! Use discount code WINTER10 to get 10% off your total purchase through the store!
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 of my personal favorite books include:
Other great books about the science of sex and relationships 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, Why Is Sex Fun? The Evolution of Human Sexuality, and The All-or-Nothing Marriage: How the Best Marriages Work.
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 co
py of this one and it’s definitely a fun book!
Or how about The Sock Monkey Kama Sutra? In this book, sock monkeys demonstrate a range of sexual positions in a fun and playful way—it’s a great beginner’s guide to exploring some new things in the bedroom.
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 a couple of years ago!).
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!
Happy holiday shopping!
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Top Photo Credit: 123RF/lightfieldstudios
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