Stocking stuffers for men who like woody scents

For a man who likes woody scents, the stocking stuffer is one box of Looshi Create, teakwood with a citrus twist, because a box of sticks is 9.5 inches long, 2.1 inches wide and 0.7 inches high, so it slides into a stocking. Looshi is artisanal incense, rolled by hand with real ingredients, with grounding scents from across the world. If he leans another way, four other scents carry wood too: Clarify, Vivacity, Allure and Rewild.

Why one box of Create suits him and the stocking

One box of Create suits a man who likes woody scents because it smells of smooth wood, brightened by mandarin, and the box slides into a stocking beside the socks.

Teakwood is a rich, smooth wood, mandarin is bright, zesty citrus and iris is soft and powdery. Together they smell fresh and woody, never sharp, which suits a man who wants a scent that's not overpowering and not super sweet. The Create incense sticks page shows the three notes and the box of 20 sticks.

Each stick is hand-rolled, not dipped, by women artisans in Bangalore, with no synthetic fragrance, and it burns on upcycled coconut shell, not coal.

The woody scents, and which one suits him

The right woody scent for him depends on the wood he already likes: creamy sandalwood, dry cedar, smoky aloeswood or an earthy forest.

If he loves	Try	Why
Creamy sandalwood	Clarify	Sandalwood brightened by jasmine, with a golden edge of saffron, clear and crisp, never heavy
A cedar trail in the morning	Vivacity	Dry cedar with clean, herbal lavender and the green twig of the orange tree, fresh and awake
Deep, smoky wood	Allure	Soft, a little sweet, and grounded by aloeswood, the smoky wood perfume calls oud
An earthy forest	Rewild	Vetiver, musk and redwood, like standing in a deep forest just after rain

When you want a bigger gift than one box

When you want a bigger gift than one box, the Looshi Forest Edit is the one for under the tree, because it's three boxes in one set: Vivacity, Rewild and Calm.

The Forest Edit holds three boxes of 20 hand-rolled sticks, the three best scents in one set, which makes it the place to start for a gift. Vivacity is fresh and awake, and the room smells like a morning walk on a cedar trail. Rewild is earthy and quiet, a forest after rain. Calm is warm and enveloping: labdanum, vanilla and amber, a dim room at the end of the day. If he's just moved into a new home, the guide to housewarming gifts explains why this set suits a new place.

Two of the three carry wood, the cedar in Vivacity and the redwood in Rewild, so the set still suits a woody taste. The Forest Edit shows all three scents.

What to put beside it

Put a holder beside the box, because a burning stick needs something to hold it secure.

There are two holders, the round Ring Of Serenity and the Wave Of Senses, and which one is a matter of taste. The Ring Of Serenity is hand-thrown ceramic in Dune or Terra Bronze; the Wave Of Senses is a long ceramic tray with a wave pressed in. Both are food-grade ceramic and safe under a burning stick, and the incense holders sit side by side on one page.

Tuck a note in with it: burn it in an open, well-ventilated room, in a corner, with a plate or heatproof surface under the holder, because ash can fall or drift past it.

Looshi is for anyone, of any faith or none: it's never incense for one religion.

If you're unsure what he likes

If you can't tell which wood he likes, the Discovery Set is the last option, because it isn't a gift pick. There's no gift version: you choose its four scents from eight at checkout, two sticks of each, and he can't choose his own.

For a woody taste, choose Create, Clarify, Vivacity and Rewild, or put Allure in place of one of them. If he's your dad, the gift guide for dad has more picks for him. If he's your grandfather, or you're shopping for both grandparents, the guide to gifts for grandparents covers what suits them. If he's your father-in-law, or you're shopping for both your in-laws, the guide to gifts for a mother-in-law or father-in-law covers what suits them.

A full box still makes the better gift, and when one box feels too small, see The Forest Edit, three full boxes in one set.

Frequently asked questions

What are good things to put in a man's stocking?

Good things for a man's stocking are small, slim and picked for his taste, and a box of incense in a scent he likes fits all three. A box of Create, teakwood with a citrus twist, suits a man who likes woody scents, and it goes in with the socks and snacks.

What are some good stocking fillers for a man?

Good stocking fillers for a man are picked by his taste rather than by habit, so start with the scent he likes. For a man who loves the outdoors, Rewild is like standing in a deep forest just after rain; for a sandalwood fan, Clarify is creamy sandalwood with a golden edge of saffron.

Does a box of incense fit in a stocking?

A box of Looshi incense sticks slides into a stocking, because it's 9.5 inches long, 2.1 inches wide and 0.7 inches high. A box of Create holds 20 hand-rolled sticks, so one box is a whole gift, and he can light the first stick the same morning.

Which Looshi scents are woody?

Looshi Create, Clarify, Vivacity, Allure and Rewild all carry wood: Create has teakwood, Clarify has sandalwood, Vivacity has cedar, Allure has aloeswood and Rewild has redwood. Create is fresh and woody with a citrus twist, Clarify is clear and crisp, Vivacity is fresh and awake, Allure is rich and close, and Rewild is earthy and quiet.

Does he need a holder?

He needs a holder, or something else that holds a burning stick secure, so add one unless he owns one already. Both holders, the round Ring Of Serenity and the long Wave Of Senses tray, are food-grade ceramic, and a plate or heatproof surface goes under either one, because ash can fall or drift past it.