You probably have gifts on your mind right now. Mari Uyehara is thinking about them all year long.
After more than 15 years writing and editing for food and lifestyle publications, Ms. Uyehara joined Wirecutter, a product recommendation site owned by The New York Times, in 2023. As a member of the gifts team, it’s her mission to suggest presents that fit any occasion, or any recipient.
Before something makes a gift guide, Wirecutter staff members test the goods at home and in a warehouse in Queens. In lists and reported articles, as well as through a podcast, readers can find reviews of kitchen appliances, exercise machines, home décor and last-minute Christmas gifts.
While Wirecutter earns money from affiliate links on its site, it recommends products based on its independent research.
In an interview, Ms. Uyehara spoke about how she finds ideas, the popular presents this holiday season and how her father shaped her appreciation for “a well-made thing.” This conversation has been edited.
You recently published a guide for gifts under $50. Can you break down what the selection process looked like?
We’re really trying to look for things that punch above their weight. And we’re also trying to be very broad because all sorts of people are looking for gifts under $50. We want tech stuff, pretty stuff, some fun stuff. We pull from our other guides, some of which are more identity driven, like gifts for Mom, gifts for boyfriends, that kind of thing.
We’ll see what worked or did not work in the past, and take that as a gauge of how we can do better. But then, we’re just making guesses, too. So some of it will be like, “Well, I got this for my boyfriend and he liked it,” and we’ll put it in the guide.
What’s on top of Wirecutter holiday shopping lists?
Custom-made Funko Pop figurines — you can get one made that resembles a friend or your dad or your child. We put them in the guide for engagement gifts, which has champagne glasses, art prints and then … Funko Pops. That’s what people want to give for engagements. We have them on the dads guide and another, new guide called Gifts for Grown-Ups That Don’t Wanna Grow Up (which is based on a lot of men in my life).
Books are one of my go-to ideas for gifting. But my siblings don’t really read them.
I think people try to give gifts to shape people into the people they want them to be, instead of the people they are.
You’re probably right. But it’s hard to think of something that you know they’ll enjoy, but that’s also a bit more special than, say, some band T-shirt or a backpack they ask for. Any tips?
I’ve always been a person who has a spreadsheet of ideas and buys in advance. When I traveled abroad, I would try and buy all my gifts, because you can’t get those things anywhere else. Some of my best gifts: I got napkins for my parents in Oaxaca, Mexico, and I got these papier-mâché crafts in Osaka, Japan. I’ve always shopped in advance and try to keep a running list for people.
Your author profile on Wirecutter reads in part: “She has long been a believer in the power of a well-made thing.” Can you tell me about that philosophy?
My dad’s a potter, so I grew up hanging out in his pottery studio. My mom said when I was a baby, she’d come home and I’d be covered with clay, because he would pick me up while he was working. I know how much work goes into handcrafted things. People are always looking for something that’s cheap, and I get that. I also don’t want to overpay. But when I’m looking for things, I ask, “What’s the quality? Are you going to keep it for a long time?”
So my general philosophy is: Buy something really good instead of a lot of things that are good. Like a pan or a pot. A really good pot will last your lifetime. If you buy a cheap one, it might end up in the landfill and then you have to buy it several times over.
Sometimes in a Wirecutter guide, I’ll add a small artisan or cool artist whose stuff costs just a little bit more. It’s a single person who had an idea, and I respect that. Readers can decide whether they also think that’s worth it.
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