I started today with ashtray, for quite a while, but then started getting the "not quite inspired" message (and now only getting that). I *think* the trigger might have been chatting with the decorations guy:
He lets himself get distracted pretty easily. "There's some clay this year, which is great. Nothing like a blank canvas but… now I need an idea."
"I was hoping there would be something in the story book this year, but it's so short I couldn't squeeze any inspiration out of it. So I'm seeing if there's any good inspiration among the other supplies. I could sculpt… crepe paper?"
Nothing special for gaining 50 Etheric after that (a common source of inspiration), nor various guidebooks equipped, nor various ooze items equipped, nor tome of binding, etc.
The quote mentions the story book this year, not enough inspiration in that, so I tried rereading a bunch of the old storybooks from previous years.
Nothing with 135 turns of Halloween Spirit.