Sex on TV: Top 5 Cuddletime Holiday Movies
You know it’s the month between Thanksgiving and Christmas when the music changes in the department stores, peppermint flavors absolutely everything being sold to you, and your pants are fitting just a little bit tighter. Don’t fight it—embrace it. Sure, it may not be snowing quite yet—in fact, it’s a balmy 50 degrees outside (thank you, global warming)—but I say turn on the A/C and snuggle under a blanket with someone special while you watch your favorite sexy holiday classic. Here are some of my favorites to get you started.
1. Love Actually. If you haven’t seen it yet, you’re really just doing yourself a disservice. Take every working British actor (there only seems to be a dozen or so, constantly being recycled), a killer soundtrack (though Mariah Carey definitely ages, “All I Want For Christmas” never seems to get old), and interwoven love stories with a holiday backdrop and you have one of the best holiday love stories of all time.
2. The Holiday. If you enjoyed Love Actually, or if you have a soul, you’ll also enjoy The Holiday. Cameron Diaz and Kate Winslet switch homes for Christmas, sending LA-based Diaz to Winslet’s quaint English countryside cottage and Winslet to rough it out in Diaz’s impressive Hollywood Hill’s mansion. Both find love, Diaz with Jude Law (a single dad wielding two adorably accented children) and Winslet with Jack Black (just go with it) by New Year’s Eve. And then there’s this cute old man—never mind, just see it.
3. Elf. A belly laugh or two can be pretty sexy, in my opinion. Plus, as big Zooey Deschanel fans, we can’t help but swoon as Buddy the Elf not only rekindles the relationship with his real father, but also finds love with Deschanel.
4. White Christmas. This list wouldn’t be complete without a real classic. A really good classic (from long, long ago, in 1954!). The singing, the dancing, the snow, Technicolor!
5. Die Hard. Just go with me on this one. It may not be as traditionally holiday-y as the movies above, but it takes place at Christmas, and there’s that McClane-Holly love story happening and everything. Whatever, if you just made your significant other watch all of the other films, it’s probably best to mix it up a bit. What’s Christmas without an over-the-top fictional hostage situation?
So get cozy, borrow your friend’s Netflix account, and watch some sexy holiday classics with someone you like to cuddle with. And no need to worry about funky breath—the overdosing of peppermint has you covered! And if you think all the cuddling could lead to more than cuddling, make sure you’ve got everything else covered too. Then share the sexy holiday details (anonymously, of course) on Bootylog.
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Lauren Mann works in The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy’s Entertainment Media department. She’s been blogging about sex, love and relationships among twenty-somethings since she first joined the Campaign as an intern in 2009. Check out her personal blog at whatjewtalkingbout.tumblr.com.
Dispatches from a College Sexpert: 5 Tips for Going the Distance
With freshmen leaving home for campus and students graduating or spending semesters abroad, long-distance relationships (LDRs) are practically a college requirement. And whether you’re in one with someone from back home or someone from school, it can be hard to imagine getting through it in one piece. (I’ve never run a marathon, but I imagine it’s a bit like that.) As someone who has managed to survive a couple college LDRs, I wanted to share some tips I (and a few of my friends) have picked up over the years.
1) DO set ground rules to start—but be flexible enough to make changes along the way. Some things to regularly check in about are your preferred communication method(s), times you’re both free, how often you want to talk, and what constitutes cheating. (Many people have different definitions, especially when apart, so ground rules are always good.)
2) DON’T focus only on the past or the future every time you talk—it can get really old and the relationship, even if you’re apart, should stay in the present.
3) DO talk about what each of you is comfortable doing to keep your sex life going. Communicate about whether you’ll pleasure yourselves independently or with each other’s help via text, phone, chat, videochat, or parcel post. Hint: If you use gchat, you can turn the chat “off the record” in case it gets dirtier than you’d like to remember.
4) DON’T constantly pass up great opportunities (for travel, internships, study, etc) to be with your partner; if it doesn’t work out down the line, this can make the breakup even worse. That being said, if you’re apart for an extended period of time, planning when you’ll see each other and how you’ll keep in touch—and sticking to that plan—is a good idea.
5) DO keep in touch. Sending e-mails or even snail mail to update your partner or remind them how much they mean to you helps them seem less far away. Even if it’s just texting good morning and goodnight, it’s easier to deal with being apart if some patterns stay in place.
And now, the bonus tip you’ve all been waiting for: Don’t let the distance keep you from dating.
Here’s how to set up a long-distance date night in 4 easy steps:
1) Set a time when you’re both free for a few hours to talk and stick to it. Make sure your roommates, friends, and other possible interrupters know you’re busy. Then, get excited—it’s a date night, after all.
2) Watch a movie or clips using YouTube videos through a google + hangout. I recommend putting your partner into his or her own circle so you don’t accidentally invite everyone into your hangout during one-on-one time.
3) If you’re feeling frisky, you can fool around by chat, text, or phone. See tip #3 for more details.
4) Talk about the movie you watched, the great time you just had, or anything you normally would and say goodnight as you would on an in-person date.
If you have tips on making long distance work, let me know. For those of you heading into an LDR, I hope the tips help you make it through. Successful communication during long distance can make the relationship even better post-reunion. More good stuff about LDRs can be found here. Check in next week for tips on smooth sexiling.
“Maraton Madrid II” image by Antonio Martin.
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Catherine Rivera is an intern for Bedsider. When she’s not counseling, teaching, researching or writing about sex and relationships, this Stanford University student can be found passing out condoms to her fellow students, mentoring middle school girls, indulging her sweet tooth , reading the news, or attempting to get inside the heads of her four younger brothers. Catherine doesn’t have a personal tumblr (yet), but you can follow her on twitter @cmrivera2013.
