No One Needs This Beaded Turkey Pillow. But a Lot of People Might Love One.
I play a lot of important roles in my family, but perhaps my most consistent is enthusiastic group-chat participant and cheerleader. That is, unless my sister sends a picture of a backyard fox or a sunning vacation iguana. Then I'm at a loss for words. What's one to say? Heart emoji? Thumbs up? Eyes welled with tears? Suffice it to say, I'm not a major wild animal person.
Animal-themed items, however, are a different story. After receiving my first grown-up paycheck, I went straight to a Brooklyn boutique and splurged on a silk dress screenprinted with an elegant penguin family. (Oh, to be young.) And I was recently reminded of that sartorial stretch when my colleague, head of social Julia Bush, shared this sinuous, understated, and affordable swan bag—one of the best gifts Wirecutter journalists received last year.
As a gifts editor, I'm always on the hunt for fish and fowl, bird and beast to surprise and delight. A few of my best catches: This ceramic pitcher shaped like a fish sounds like a lovely babbling brook when you pour from it. (The mini version is great, too.) It comes in a dozen colors—I got my mom a coral one years ago that she still treasures, even after downsizing into a senior-living apartment. Another aquatic delight: these mama fish dishes, which are great for holding salty snacks, candies, or jewelry. Equally as charming? The baby ones.
My colleague and fellow gifts expert Mari Uyehara introduced me to these handmade, lampworked glass animal tumblers. I'm particularly partial to the mallard duck, which I'd like to fill with lemonade and sip on a dock this summer, with my hair twisted up in this birdie hair clip.
Animal embroidery is a sub-genre of my infatuation. This chickadee hat is so detailed; I love the beach birds one, too. And while they're technically sold as cards, these cheeky predators and honey bear prints are truly works of art. I framed the one a friend sent me nearly a decade ago and it still hangs, vibrant and eye-catching, in my son's bedroom.
This brings me to animal gifts for the kids. There's no better tribute to charming critter personalities than Our Animal Friends at Maple Hill Farm, a beloved picture book I've gifted many times over. I also love giving this Calico Critters hedgehog family to dollhouse kiddos, and Schleich animals to future zoologists who are sticklers for realism. And kids of almost any age would go wild for this jellyfish LED table lamp.
As for my own love of animals: Well, a funny thing happens as life rolls on—our hard edges soften, whether we like it or not. This summer, a wild turkey roosted on our garage in Portland, Maine. A lone wild turkey! In my little city! This time it was me blowing up the group chat. (Speaking of: I'm on the eBay hunt for one of these beaded turkey pillows, which are harder to find than the actual birds!) A pretty loop of steel helped me get my hair groove back.
I've been gifting Estelle's champagne flutes in colorful glass for years. They're perfect for any occasion.
Crest 3D Whitestrips are easy to use and effective.
I need help finding a present for a 12-year-old boy who loves screens and tech too much. What's a good non-screen, touch-grass kind of gift? — C. P.
From gifting expert Samantha Schoech:
With a few exceptions, this describes most 12-year-old boys. As well as kids and teens of many other ages. (It certainly describes my own 18-year-old son.) And since screens aren't going anywhere, all we can aim for is balancing out the tech time with a few non-digital interests.
One of the things my son loved at that age was audiobooks. The Harry Potter series, wonderfully narrated by Jim Dale, is something he still listens to when doing chores. A good story, combined with something to keep the hands busy could keep him going for hours with nary a screen. Some ideas: Legos (they may even make themed sets for his favorite video game), a 3D pen, or simply a good pad of paper and colored pens.
If you're after the outdoors, or at least a little physical activity, we had great success with a diabolo set in middle school, skateboards (still going strong), and a RipStik—which was a bit of a flash in the pan, but fun while it lasted. And finally, if you think he might like to cook (could he be in charge of dinner once a week?), this cookbook designed for young chefs comes highly recommended by Wirecutter's kids team.
Our present-hunters are here to answer your questions. By completing this form, you agree that we may add your address to our list for the newsletter The Gift.
What I Cover
Hannah Morrill is an editor on Wirecutter's style team, spearheading the gifts and beauty sections. For the past decade, she has worked as a freelance writer and editor for publications such as Allure, Elle, and InStyle, among others. She lives in Portland, Maine, with her partner and their two children.
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