Amelia Hadi and 14 other girls sit in a circle on the floor of a livingroom decorated with streamers, balloons and a banner that reads “Congratulations.” With the lavish dinner set up next to them reduced to mere scraps, the ladies await some after-dinner entertainment for the bride-to-be. Around 8 p.m., the doorbell rings and Hadi’s eyes light up. The San Francisco State University marketing graduate and bride-to-be eagerly awaits a tall, handsome man in a rip-away cop uniform to barge in and arrest someone. But instead, a woman in her late 30s resembling a typical soccer mom walks in carrying a large bag. Within minutes, the room is filled with toys typically seen in a porn video. Some girls squish dildos and pretend to put them in their mouths while others blow down their shirts to activate the tingling body cream they rubbed on their nipples.

Christmas is just around the corner and ‘tis the season of giving—in more ways than one. In addition to sweet smelling perfumes and diamond tennis bracelets, you can get that special lady in your life a Femblossom, which is both sleek and ergonomically correct. Ladies, if times are as hard as he is and you’re short on cash, get him an Ecsta-Sleeve for a cheap thrill—just don’t expect it to keep his arms warm. These top-selling items aren’t sold at your nearest Macy’s or Target. An imitation vagina just wouldn’t look right on the shelf next to Tickle-Me-Elmo.

When the hit show "Sex and the City" featured the infamous Rabbit Pearl vibrating dildo, sales skyrocketed, thus normalizing the acceptance of sex toys in society.

While the presence of a sex toy in a popular television show can certainly contribute to its popularity, Dr. Carol Queen, resident sexologist at Good Vibrations in San Francisco, says sex in general is more acceptable as a discussion topic.

“We have certainly done our part to help foster this change, especially when it comes to toys and masturbation,” Queen says.

As attitudes toward sex began to change, sex toys evolved as well. Evidence of sex toys has been found as far back as the era when Pompeii was buried by Mt. Vesuvius (79 AD). Dildos have been used for hundreds of years, and rumor has it Cleopatra used a papyrus box filled with bees for vibration.

The earliest mass-produced sex toys were marketed as sex “aids” for the sexually frustrated and resembled toasters, curling irons, staplers, electric sanders and drills. They were big, heavy and scary looking. But what was once used to cure physical ailments is now used for pleasure, and look a little less frightening. Sex stores sell an array of toys that look like lollipops, feel like Jell-O and taste like strawberries.

Coyote Days, senior toy buyer for Good Vibrations, loves that her job enables her to impact the lives of millions of people. She takes into consideration quality, durability, function and design when picking out toys. She has picked out a variety of new items for the holiday season, such as the Helio: a double-sided glass dildo with a flower inset on one end that resembles a sorcerer’s wand. It's pretty enough to double as a paperweight when your parents make an unannounced visit to your new apartment.

While sex toys are mainstream and certainly popular, discreetness is still a concern. Manufacturers cater to this by creating sex toys disguised as animals, flowers, food, makeup and almost anything else you can think of. Big Teaze Toys has created a line of waterproof goodies sure to get you wet even outside the tub. Their product I Rub My Duckie looks and floats just like a regular tub toy, but one squeeze and it doubles as a vibrator. You can even buy friends for your duckie, like I Rub My Wormie and I Rub My Fishie to complete your bathtime fun collection.

If giving a girl a fresh flower says “I love you,” then giving her a vibrating flower means “I’d love to get you in bed.” Big Teaze Toys is also responsible for Flower Power, a plastic vibrator that looks like a daisy. While it may not smell sweet like an orchid, its removable petals double as a cock ring that's sure to provide sweet sensations.

For the diva or devo in all of us, Devine Toys has created the Devine Satchel, a fashionable carrying case that will have you asking “Louis Vuitton who?” The bag is roomy enough to carry even your largest toys, and the dividers help organize goodies like massage oil and batteries. The outside is made of a beautiful ruby red faux crocodile skin that would go perfect with a pair of stilettos. And what better to carry inside a bag than a Purse Pal, the vibrator that can easily be mistaken for makeup because it’s almost the size of your favorite MAC lipstick.

Sex toys have become so trendy that people are throwing parties with the toys as the main attraction. Pleasure parties such as the one Hadi attended provide guests with a friendly, fun and non-judgmental environment where they can learn about products, and purchases can be confidential.

Maria Johnson is the owner and sensual consultant for Sensual in Sacramento, Pleasure Parties by Maria. She chose the job because she wanted to enhance her own sex life. “I decided that if I was going to sell something, then it should be something that I fully support and would use myself,” Johnson says.

At her parties, you can purchase a plethora of items, from sex toys to Kama Sutra oil to blow up dolls.

“More and more people are aware of their sexual desires and take advantage of having their own adult demonstration in their home,” Johnson says.

Prior to her bridal shower, Hadi had never even heard of a pleasure party. She thought it would just be a room full of girls passing around a dildo like a remote control. Hadi was nervous because sex toys weren’t really her “thing.” But by the end of the night, she was tasting honey dust and chocolate foreplay sauce with everyone else. She even cracked jokes and played around with the dildos. The pleasure party allowed her to bond with her friends and feel more comfortable about her sexuality. However, she still couldn’t help but blush when a 10-inch dildo with textured veins and ridges was passed to her.

“It was huge!” Hadi says.

With the variety of novelty toys the sex industry offers today, people can even throw their own parties. Why not start off with a nice dinner of breast shaped pasta and freshly baked penis cookies for dessert. Top the night off with a game of Strip Chocolate or Dirty Dice—just don’t forget to blow before rolling!

A sex toy is the gift that keeps on giving, so make sure to be extra naughty this Christmas.