Candy canes! Ribbons! Beautifully-wrapped gifts! Holiday spirits and holiday sales! With all of the hallmarks of the holiday season floating around, it's easy to get wrapped up in it all - literally. In fact, there's no reason why you can't use the exact same festive items that you use to celebrate the holidays to celebrate a bit of steamy romance in the bedroom; many of them are great for bondage! Plus, a little intimate time with your partner might just the holiday gift you were hoping for.

Repurposing Holiday Ribbons and Bows

With a little bit of creativity, many holiday items can be put to kinky purposes. Gift wrap, holiday decor, ribbons and gift bags can make simple bondage items - and they're easy to use too. Feel free to use your imagination, but try these simple ideas to get your inspiration flowing:

Thick Ribbon
Collect those thick ribbons left behind from gifts and you'll likely have enough to reuse for your personal enjoyment later on. Large, thick ribbon can be fantastic to wrap around the head as a makeshift blindfold. Just make sure the gift-giver didn't use staples or other adhesives to fasten the ribbon to the gift. Also, be careful about ribbons with glitter or other bits that can get into the eyes.

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Standard-Sized Gift Bags
The fabric gift bag that once held your newest kitchen appliance can now become your newest friend in the bedroom. This gift bag can now work as a face hood for your partner. Slip the bag over your partner's head - it's a festive (if a little funny) face hood! Make sure your partner can still breathe easily, and avoid tying the strings. Feel free to have a bit of a giggle too. This should be fun!

Over-Sized Gift Bags
Don't want your partner going anywhere? Oversized gift bags might be the holiday-themed answer. Simply stuff your partner's legs into the bag, tie it shut and restrain their hands. Keep this one for playing in a seated or reclined position - making a getaway with bound legs could lead to injury.

Wrapping Paper
Did you go a bit overboard this year buying wrapping paper? Fortunately, it can work fantastically for a mummification. Start off by seating your partner on a flat surface such as the bed or the floor. From there, from the waist down, use plastic wrap to wrap layers around their legs. Once you've done that (and have them fully bound), you can wrap more layers of gift wrap around their legs for a festive partial mummification. Just make sure you have safety shears to cut them out when you're done!

Christmas Decor You Don't Mind Losing
A lot of yard decor can be fantastic for spankings - especially if you don't mind breaking it. Dollar-store decor like plastic candy canes can be fun and festive to use. Enjoy using your fit-for-disposal outdoor decorations or pick up some new ones. Just be aware that your spanking is likely to break the item! (And of course, don't continue using it - spanking or otherwise - once the item is broken.)

Unheated Christmas Lights
Consider adding a bit of an erotic slant to your holiday lighting before you pack it away for next year. As long as the lights don't feel hot to the touch, any piece of holiday lighting can be used as a fun and erotic way to explore each other's bodies - and maybe even experiment with photography! In the dark, feel free to plug in the lights and use them to highlight some of your favorite areas for your partner. Netting-style lighting could be used to illuminate your entire partner while they lay down and enjoy your personal attention between the squares of the lighting.

Safety First!

I hope these ideas will help you look at holiday decor in a whole new light. Feel free to let your creativity lead the way! That said, there are a few things you should definitely avoid.

Penetration
Unless you're working with a body-safe sex toy, penetration is a no-no. We've heard of people inserting candy canes (they contain sugar that can cause serious infections!) or other plastic pervertibles, which may not be made of safe materials, and could even break or get lost inside the body. If you want the holiday visual, try a candy cane glass dildo or other safe, festive toy from a sex toy retailer.

Ribbon for Bondage
Ribbon seems like the perfect choice for restraint bondage, but a lot of ribbon is made from small, thin metal wires - wires that can easily come out of fabric sheath and cut into the skin with any bit of struggling. Even soft ribbon can cut into the skin, cut off circulation and become difficult to remove. Want the lovely ribbon visual without the risk? Use large-coverage BDSM cuff restraints then lightly tie your ribbon on top of the restraints. You'll protect the skin while still presenting yourself with a lovely "gift".

So, what are you waiting for? Get festive!

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