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Giving a sexy present requires careful consideration. If you proffer a heavy-duty vibrator, piece of bondage gear or other bit of “serious” kit, the recipient may feel obliged to use it with you straight away so as not to look ungrateful – even if they’re secretly a tad intimidated, or aren’t ready to get freaky before the leftover turkey’s been turned into stir-fry.
I advise bundling risque gifts with softer playthings such as a bath bomb (try Lush’s Sex Bomb), or a massage candle (I love Neom’s treatment candle).
Be honest with yourself about whether you’re selecting a pressie for their pleasure or yours, too. If you’ve been angling to try nipple clamps, but your partner isn’t keen, trying to force their hand by buying some for Christmas will make them want to use the nutcrackers on you instead of the pecans.
Creative presentation can make all the difference between a provocative parcel seeming cliched or sleazy, and being a gloriously intentional invitation to shared bliss (or pure dirt). I’ve suggested ways to make your gifts feel really special.
The best sexy gifts for Christmas
Stocking thrillers
Liquid lipstick
Made by deluxe sex toy company Lelo, these matt lipsticks are packed densely with pigment. They claim to last up to 12 hours, and are amazingly unbudgeable in my experience – although you can have a lot of fun trying to smudge them.
Snag mock garters
These cutaway tights give the illusion of stockings and suspenders, but pull on in one easy piece, so there’s no need to fiddle with fussy garter belt clips that ping undone at inopportune moments. Snag have one of the most inclusive size ranges of ho-ho-hosiery out there, too.
Egg textured stroker sleeve
Tenga is a household name in Japan, with its penis-pleasing toys sold in luxury department stores alongside branded bow ties, backpacks and (ahem) tissue dispensers. These eggs are the brand’s most famous product: stretchy, hollow domes, lined with different titillating textures. The Keith Haring art editions would make egg-cellent gifts.
Jelly massager
These mini-massagers look like elfin jelly desserts set on crystal cake stands – and indeed, they’re moulded from 98% water set with agar and fragranced with yuzu and ylang-ylang (sadly, they’re single-use only). They’re designed to caress erogenous zones, and can be cooled in the fridge or used in a warm bath. An ideal gift for people who seek novel sensations.
Rechargeable mini vibrators
Each different Unihorn performs a particular trick with its tongue – throbbing, twirling, sucking, flicking. They’re part of a proliferation of hyper-cute, whimsical vibes, all with collectible appeal.
Hair glitter drops, 30ml
They say they’re for your hair. They don’t say where. Burnish your – or their – bush this Christmastime with this shimmering golden liquid glitz. It can be smoothed on skin, too.
CBD-infused water-based lube, 100ml
Formulated to boost blood flow and relax muscles to enhance pleasure, this lube ticks all the boxes. It’s compatible with condoms and toys; easy to wash off; designed for all bodies and types of sex; and its thick formula means it sticks around for a decently long period for a water-based lubricant, without becoming tacky. Howl is conscientious, doing more than most brands to support queer and kinky communities.
Good-to-Go refillable lube and travel case
Silicone-based lubricants last considerably longer than water-based gels. They can also be runnier, harder to clean off, and unsuited for use with certain silicone toys.
Überlube’s pros far outweigh these cons: it doubles as a sports anti-chafe serum, and even tames flyaway hair, so it’s great for travelling. This lube comes with a refillable case, available in 11 colours and small enough to stash in carry-on luggage – the perfect gift.
Remote-controlled wearable panty vibrator
Add an extra frisson to their Boxing Day walk. This attaches securely to underwear with magnets, so they can frolic with confidence knowing that their new plaything isn’t going to drop out of their trouser leg and down a cattle grid.
Nauti Petites rechargeable clitoral stimulator
Lovehoney Passion Pod rechargeable clitoral stimulator
These super-discreet waterproof suction toys pack an elephantine amount of power given how itty-bitty they are. Both have 10 intensity/pattern variations, and the pricier Lovehoney version sports an oyster-shell finish and a charging case, too.
Christmas toys
Nancy Lem lemon-shaped clitoral massager
This clitoral massager has been a humongous hit on social media, so you won’t feel like an out-of-the-loop lemon if you buy it for someone with their finger on the fashion pulse.
Womanizer peach rechargeable clitoral stimulator
This toy has a tactile, semi-transparent finish that makes it exceedingly tempting to touch. The suction opening is rather recessed in the toy’s body, so it probably wouldn’t suit people with more “buried” clitorises, or those who require a longer suction head to make a proper seal around their hotspots.
Phreak hand-cast silicone strawberry butt plug
Phreak will hand-make its strawberry plug to your precise size and firmness specifications, and you can have it cast to look as though it’s been dipped in whipping cream.
Rechargeable pulse stimulator with starlight projector
This toy comes in two parts that click together. The top delivers clitoral suction with five intensities and five pulse patterns, which can be remotely controlled and customised using an app. The bottom is a charging dock that doubles as a light projector, casting a Milky Way of twinkling lilac stars throughout your bedroom.
Namii 2 rechargeable clitoral stimulator with nightlight dock
Everything Biird designs has me all a-flutter. From the playful packaging to genuinely inventive toys with dreamy pearlescent, holographic and ombre finishes, the whole range is a delight. The Namii 2 is similar to the Galaxie, in that it’s a clitoral suction toy (seven strength levels) with a light-up charging dock, but here the toy additionally vibrates, in six different patterns, and the dock acts as a soft nightlight, rather than a projector.
We Vibe Temp rechargeable heating and cooling vibrator
The We Vibe Temp switches between warm and cold remarkably swiftly at the touch of a button, and its pebble shape skims smoothly all over the body, delivering three levels of vibration intensity and three pattern modes. It’s waterproof for use in the bath or shower, too.
Rocks Off Gemini rechargeable interchangeable vibrator
This is the Optimus Prime of vibrators. Twist the Gemini to transform it from a lobster-claw-shaped dual vaginal and clitoral stimulator into a wand that targets the G-spot. You can angle the wand’s handle to best reach the places that will make them explode like a Michael Bay action sequence.
Bondara straddle saddle
after newsletter promotion
Say “Howdy, pardner!” to the straddle saddle, a toy mount that allows you to strap any suction cup-based dildo or butt plug on to a pillow, chair or even your partner’s thigh for a lapdance that will have them shouting “Yee-haw!”
Need a suction cup toy to complete your kit? Godemiche will handcraft you a silicone beauty in your choice of size, shape and combination of 32 colours, including UV glow and glitter effects. I like the Ambit model, from £39.99.
Rocks Off Ass-berry vibrating butt plug
Rocks Off’s plug is small and slim enough to suit beginners to bottom play, with vibrations supplied by a battery-powered buzzer from the same family as my best budget bullet of 2025.
Creative sex gifts
Mindsight timed lockbox
Research suggests 35% of Britons are so glued to their phones that it makes them less willing to get intimate with a partner. If that rings true for you, a lockbox that traps phones in a digital dungeon could be the best present of all. You could even pop some smaller gifts inside, and set the timer so they won’t be unleashed until Boxing Day. Or stash your lover’s favourite toy in there at the beginning of a sex session, and programme the lock to open only once they’ll be begging to use it.
Personalised wooden hairbrush
It can be extremely sensual to have a lover tenderly comb your tresses and massage your scalp, and how one can dote upon and dominate their partner by reverently plaiting them a ponytail, before pulling upon it like a leash. This classic wooden, boar-bristle brush can be customised with a name or flirtatious phrase, plus it’s the perfect shape and weight for bottom spanking.
Bondage bouquet
10-metre luxury pink rope
Combine romance with raunch by presenting your amour with a beautiful bunch of blooms – that you’ve tied with a bow made from bondage rope. Ann Summers’ hot pink restraint cord is silky and glossy so it won’t chafe skin, and the ends are finished with metal caps to stop them fraying. Bloom & Wild’s festive floral arrangement features raffia-wrapped bundles of cinnamon sticks to give it an extra Christmassy scent.
Intrigued by the Japanese art of shibari, but need an expert to show you the ropes? Anatomie Studio is the UK’s first full-time rope-bondage educational space; it sells gift certificates for lessons.
Hemp handcuffs
These handcuffs are crafted from natural hemp jute and look like impressively intricate bindings, but they’re quick and easy to attach to (and release from) wrists and bedposts. They’re also far softer than they appear.
An alternative fruit basket
Choose the fruity beauties you think your beloved would best savour, and package them with sumptuous seasonal produce such as persimmons and pomegranates for a deliciously unexpected take on a traditional fruit basket. A pretty jar of Italian candied strawberries would be a luscious addition, too.
Three Spirit Cherry Love Social non-alcoholic botanical elixir, 500ml
The Three Spirit Cherry Love Social alcohol-free isn’t over sweet. Sour morello cherry with hints of tobacco and leather give a complex, adult flavour, while the reputed aphrodisiac plant damiana makes you feel like indulging in some adult behaviour.
Amorecco After Dark cherry lickable perfume, 15ml
This is another product that’s gone stratospheric on socials, and justifiably so: it’s a smouldering, sweet-tasting spritz, designed to lace anywhere you’d like to be kissed or licked – decolletage, belly button, the tops of feet platformed by slinky Christmas heels – with a velvety cherry tang.
Honey Dust coconut pineapple body powder
Honey Dust massage powder is fabulous for folks who like a good rub down, but detest the greasy feeling of oils on their skin or bedding. Try fluffing it on with a feathery pompom “tickle stick” (£4.19).
Sex & Mischief Peaches ’n CreaMe paddle
The Sex & Mischief paddle is made from two layers of vegan leatherette that slap together as it’s smacked against a palm or buttock – making a pleasingly impactful cracking sound without the need to hit hard.
Eve Amour weighted cherry kegel exercise balls
The five cherry kegel exercise balls come in ascending weights to help train and tone pelvic floor muscles over time for more powerful orgasms.
Augustus Muller limited-edition Cellulosed Bodies LP
This 16-track record showcases the original scores from two explicit films, Crash and Automaton, produced by art-porn film company Four Chambers. Orders come with an exclusive print of a still from the X-rated movies and a digital copy of the album.
Gashtrays ceramic vulva self-portrait tile kit
These crafting kits – with air-drying clay, modelling tools, varnish and a tutorial video – contain everything needed to sculpt a joyous facsimile of your – or their – foof into a terracotta tile. The deluxe edition, at £72, also contains paint, condoms, and a limited-edition Gashtrays ready-made vulva tile with a floral pattern. Perfect for your splashback.
Love Is Art couples’ art starter kit
Put the ass in Picasso with these canvas painting kits, which invite couples to co-create abstract artwork by using their naked bodies as brushes. A protective drop cloth is supplied to save surfaces from splatters, along with body-safe, nontoxic paints. The disposable slippers, to help you reach the shower without leaving a vibrant footprint trail, are a thoughtful touch, too.
Explicit experiences and subscriptions
Dans le Noir? perfume workshop
Since 2006, the Dans le Noir? restaurant in London has welcomed diners to feast in absolute darkness, served by blind waitstaff, as an exercise both in honing compassion towards people with visual impairment and exploring how our senses are altered by the removal of sight. Now, they’ve paired with perfume experts to launch olfactory workshops, again conducted in total blackness.
Quinn Audio Erotica app subscription
A heaving library of spicy audio stories and dirty talk, covering themes from bisexuality and biting to non-monogamy, naughty neighbours, praise kinks and punishments. There are famous names among the narrators, including The Summer I Turned Pretty’s Christopher Briney, Jesse Williams from Grey’s Anatomy, and Andrew Scott. My go-to voice, however, belongs to a former English teacher called Peaches.
For lustful fans of literary classics, the Bloom Stories app presents a 13-hour dramatised version of Pride and Prejudice that’s far less austere than the original Austen. Put it this way: Mr Darcy’s breeches are finally breached.
Vagina Museum membership
After learning there was a penis museum in Iceland, but no gynaecological equivalent anywhere in the world, the Vagina Museum’s founders set one up in east London. Subscribers to the museum’s “Cliterati” membership scheme receive free digital downloads of the regular Lip Service zine; invites to private exhibition views and special events; plus 10% off all products and tickets for events, many of which are broadcast online so you can take part even if you don’t live in the capital.
Trenchcoat
A classic trench flips between business and pleasure with ease, depending on what’s worn (or not) underneath it. Rock up at your lover’s door with one belted over just lingerie, or nudity, and you’ll look like a seductive detective while they’ll look as if they need a defibrillator. Fasten a suggestive brooch to the lapel. The Viktor Wynd Museum sells replicas of medieval “longplum” designs.
For more:
The best Christmas gifts for 2025
The best Secret Santa gifts
The best self-care gifts for Christmas
Alix Fox is an award-winning writer and broadcaster specialising in sexual wellbeing and culture, with 20 years of experience in receiving dick pics sent not to titillate, but because the worried texter wants an informed opinion on a weird lump/rash/wart. She’s writing her first book, Gripped – a deep dive into the most curious and compelling realms of sex and love that one early reader described as a “horny Jon Ronson”. She legitimately has to rent a storage unit to house her collection of erotic apparatus. What’s NSFW for you is probably just W for Alix
