In a stunning breakthrough for journalism, Wired's gift guide for friends opens with an admission that there is "really no catch-all gift that will please everyone" - a finding that will shock anyone who has ever frantically regifted a scented candle. Undeterred, the guide proceeds to recommend a curated selection of wellness tech and kitchen essentials based on products the author has tested, regularly reaches for, and has bought for family and friends. The takeaway: use it as a starting point, and remember your friend has a personality, needs, and hobbies. Radical stuff.

First up, for the friend who wants to set timers, check the weather, or play tunes without touching their phone: a smart speaker ideal for those in the Google Home ecosystem, available in a range of fun colors. For the Amazon/Alexa faithful, there's the team's favorite budget-friendly Echo-style speaker - one the author has bought for their parents and sister-in-law, where it has reportedly become their most-used gift. Low bar, but a bar nonetheless.

For friends with chronic pain or a post-workout ache, there's a device using TENS and EMS technology to deliver low-voltage electrical currents to motor nerves. The author, who suffers from chronic back pain and joint overuse, reports improved circulation, relaxed muscles, and better mobility with consistent use, especially in colder weather. It's pitched as perfect for targeted relief - presumably for the friend who has everything except a functioning lower back.

If your friend is obsessed with gua sha, here's the ultimate upgrade: a tool using the same techniques to encourage lymphatic drainage, with cold settings to depuff and brighten and heat to increase circulation. The author uses it daily and gifted one to a skin-care fanatic friend, who now uses it religiously. Whether that friend has since purchased a second one for the other side of her face remains unconfirmed.

Then comes the weighted blanket - a 100 percent cotton number available in four weights from 10 to 25 pounds, described as a cozy hug you'll never want to get up from, especially in chilly weather. For a lighter option, there's a couch blanket made from a super-soft, shed-free polyester blend with added spandex for stretch, giving it a "beautiful ribboning effect." The author promises it will be fought over at the next movie night, which is either an endorsement or a warning about your friends.

For the friend still cooking on flaking, sticking pans, there's a splurge: a four-piece nonstick ceramic set comprising an 8-inch mini fry pan, a 10.5-inch fry pan, a 4.5-quart sauté pan, and a heavy-duty lid. The author says it covers most everyday stovetop cooking and hasn't needed another pan size since. A rare case of a gift that replaces something rather than adding to the pile.

Finally, the Reviews team's favorite travel mug: low-maintenance, practically indestructible, and forgiving if you're clumsy. The 16-ounce size fits most car cup holders, the wide-mouth lids are interchangeable so you can swap in a straw lid for cold beverages, and buying directly from Hydro Flask allows personalization. Because nothing says "I know you" like engraving your friend's name on a vessel they'll inevitably leave in a rental car.