Deep Thought December Prompts

Tis the season to be twisted… fah la la la la… la la la… HA.

Welcome to December, Prompt Warriors!

We’re entering my favorite time of year… no, not Christmas. WINTER! There’s a chill in the air and I love, love, love it! Heat is oppressive and disrespectful and it’s a type of negativity that I simply do not need in my life. So I’m in a jolly good mood!

Do you think that means the prompts will be nice and tame and not twisted because it’s coming upon the holiday season?

You don’t know me very well if you do. Even when my sandbox is covered in snow, playtime in it will leave you feeling dirty 😉

Coming up with 31 more of these has been a challenge. I am going to be changing how the prompts are done in 2024 — we’ll be moving to weekly instead of daily and yes, you will have options. Thus far, as you know, I’ve been combining criminology, psychology, philosophy, and some animal prompts to give your brains a break — but I mean, even I can’t splatter your gray matter forever.

At least not in the same way.

But let’s not think about that right now, we’re going to finish 2023 with the mind-altering madness you’re used to. The devil you know. You can worry about the one you haven’t met yet when the ball drops.

Onto the complete and utter lack of rules and regulations that make up the Ruby bylaws (that sentence doesn’t even make sense which should pretty much tell you what you’re in for)…

First and most important — if one of these prompts offends you… do not expect me to care. I don’t. I won’t. And whining annoys me. So either skip it or realize that it’s probably supposed to offend you and THINK ABOUT IT. Then write me something that’s actually interesting to read. The ones that offend you are the ones that should be MOST important to you to answer. But if you're just going to write some sad sack whiney nonsense about being offended, seriously, skip it. You bore me. Moving on.

As always, these are numbered so as to provide you with enough prompts to do one every single day in the month of December, however, they are not ordered. You may do them in any order you see fit. Jump around. Combine them if you need to — they are designed to allow for that. This month especially since some of you will have family gatherings and potential travel for the holidays. My gift to you.

You’re welcome.

You can also do them as stand alones and/or do more than one in a single day to condense for holiday purposes — use them however you want to. My only hard rule is don’t whine at me. Beyond that, I care not!

These responses can be published anywhere that accepts them or self-published. They live in the Read or Die! publication so the responses are always welcome there. Regardless of where you choose to publish, make sure you tag me! While I do not analyze or judge your responses, I do like to see what you do with my little mind games.

Also, please be sure to include a LINK to this prompt list. Otherwise, you’re just taking credit for my ideas and Krampus will be sent after you without a second thought. It also lets other people play. And I do like new victims…

Remember as you read the list that nothing I do is accidental and nothing is ever quite as it seems. Some prompts look easy… they’re probably not. Make sure you’re thinking. Nothing does more damage to your brain than refusing to overthink a well-designed mindfuck.

Not. Even. Me.

Some may require a bit of previous research so read ahead and plan accordingly! And while you’re out shopping for holiday gifts this year… I would like a gift card to Amazon for to buy books… but I also accept cash and otters.

Shall we get started?

December Prompts

1. Make a list of 10 things you absolutely love (you may not include people or pets). Then make a list of 10 things you absolutely hate (still may not include people but this one also can not include phobias). Which list was harder to think of? Why do you think it was harder? What made it harder? What do you think the lists say about who you are? And other than just pushing you to think harder — why do you think I eliminated people/pets/phobias for these lists? I won’t tell you if you’re right or not unless you specifically ask — but why is that important in terms of truly looking at yourself? Think of it as your own personal naughty and nice list.
2. Do you work harder to gain praise or to avoid criticism? Which motivates you more? Are you like Tinkerbelle and you need applause to live? Or are you destroyed by being told you’ve done something wrong? Neither is not an option. One of these things drives you more whether you realize it or not. Think. Dig Deep. And then explain. As it’s the holiday season — apply your response to gift-giving. When choosing a gift for someone what are the factors involved? What motivates you more in terms of a gift — sentimental value or monetary value? Are you more likely to give a gift that took a lot of time and effort or cost a lot of money and had shock and awe appeal? Does this vary by the gift recipient? Think. Dig Deep. And then explain.
3. If you could take a pill that would ensure that you were always happy but the side effect would be that you wouldn’t remember anything that happened — only the feeling of being happy — would you take it? Are emotions or memories more important? Why? Explain.
4. Do you think that having pets during childhood makes people kinder as adults? Why or why not?
5. “We buy things we don’t need, with money we don’t have, to impress people we don’t like.” This quote is attributed to many people and there’s a version of it in one of my all-time favorite books, Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk. “Advertising has us chasing cars and clothes, working jobs we hate so we can buy shit we don’t need” — Tyler Durdan. Consumerism. Thoughts? Do you own things or do your possessions own you? What pitfalls of consumerism do you fall into? How do you feel about the fact that Christmas items are sold earlier and earlier every year? How do you feel about holidays people refer to as “Hallmark holidays” that are more based in consumerism than their actual history? Why do you feel the way that you do and is consumerism an inevitability? Is it necessary? What would the world look like without it?
6. Is suffering a necessary part of the human condition? What would a person who has never known suffering be like? Suffering can be defined differently by each person — but I don’t know anyone who would say they’d never suffered. It may be an inevitability — but is it a necessity? How would it change your life if it did not exist? If you couldn’t feel pain? What if you couldn’t feel physical pain? Would that make you happy or nervous? Why? Which would you prefer — to never feel emotional pain or never feel physical pain ever again? Why?
7. Hanukkah begins tonight at sundown. As a child who grew up with two religions, I thought all households were just like mine. I didn’t understand why Santa didn’t like my cousins on my dad’s side and why my mom’s side didn’t celebrate Hanukkah. As kids, we think the whole world looks like our own limited vision of it. What misconceptions did you have as a child and when did they end? How did they end? List as many as you can think of and what changed in your world when you realized that it wasn’t everyone… if it actually made you different.
8. Some things in this world have incredibly STUPID names. When I was in FBI training I had a particular disdain (still do actually) for the DEA. Not the agency itself but its name. Drug Enforcement Agency. Doesn’t that make them sound like federally sanctioned drug dealers? If law enforcement enforces the law then drug enforcement enforces… drugs. Stupid. There is also a couch company called LoveSack. I don’t think I could ever tell someone they’re sitting on my LoveSack with a straight face. There’s a company named His Cox. I mean, come on! Did they put thought into this? Obviously, I’m making this prompt to be amusing so go nuts with it (this has Brandon Ellrich written all over it) — find things that are inappropriately named (you can use my examples too) and rename them something BETTER. Something that makes more sense and doesn’t sound… dirty. And if you’re already on the naughty list this year and feel like having fun — take some things that have regular names and give them less appropriate ones. Have fun!
9. “It’s the thought that counts”. That is definitely true of my prompts — but what about other things in life? This is usually said about receiving gifts that you don’t want. Do you agree that the thought matters more? Or would you prefer not to receive things that you don’t like/want? Is the latter completely selfish or just honest? And if someone gets you something that you do not like — is there actual thought involved? Shouldn’t they know you wouldn’t like it if they were thinking about you? Think about that… and explain your response.
10. If it were possible to be immortal and live forever — would you want to? What circumstances would you want to be factored into your immortal life? Do you fear death? Be detailed.
11. Peter Pan Syndrome — that’s a real psychological phenomenon but my father always used to tell me that growing older was an inevitability, growing up — was a choice. Do you agree? Can you refuse to grow up? In what ways? We all have an inner child. Do you let yours play? Explain.
12. What indulgences and extravagances exist in your life? Do you have addictions? Fixations? Do you prefer designer labels over store brands? Do brand-name foods taste better than store brands? Do you have dessert daily? How much do you think your closet (or dresser or both) is worth right now? Do you over-indulge or do you deprive yourself more often? Most people have balance but not everyone. Where do you fall? Why do you think that is? Explain.
13. Let’s look at humanity. What traits make us human? Not biologically or physiologically — dig deeper. Please consider this as a philosophical — not a psychological — question. I want to know what it means to be human in your mind. Psychological traits are inevitable to include but you have to consider for each trait that you determine as “human” that not all people possess them — are they not still people? What does it mean to be human? Be detailed and specific.
14. Spend an entire day in silence. If you need to speak to someone — carry a dry erase board and use it. Or pen and paper, it doesn’t matter. But do not speak. At all. Then write about the experience. Did you succeed? What caused you to succeed or fail? Did you find yourself thinking more or less? Was it difficult for you? Explain your thoughts on the experiment and then — why do you think I had you do it?
15. How do you measure success on Medium? Number of followers? Number of reads? Earnings? Email subscribers? Claps? Highlights? Boosts? Comments? What means the most to you? We’re all writers and we’re on here to put our words out into the world but these are things that people are constantly writing about on Medium — so I’m asking you to measure your own success by your own terms. If you want to include stats and numbers and dollar amounts — that is up to you, I don’t do it so I don’t ask other people to but I won’t say you can’t either. I want you to do a personal Medium-related self-reflection and talk about how you feel about this platform and WHY. Have you ever thought about leaving? Do you write on other platforms as well? If so — why? If not — why not? Don’t give stock responses — really search yourself and the time you spend here and what makes you feel good and what makes you feel bad and what keeps you coming back… then tell us about it all.
16. Today is my dad’s birthday! So let’s explore two different bonds/relationships. Mothers and sons. And fathers and daughters. Typically — these bonds are stronger, at least in childhood — if not throughout life — than mothers and daughters/fathers and sons. Do you agree? Why or why not? Do you believe that it is common to have Mama’s boys and Daddy’s little girls? Which of your parents are you closer to and why? Do you think it was inevitable based on your gender or were other circumstances at play? This is something that tends to happen — tell me why.
17. Animals are often used to help people. There are reindeer in the North Pole getting ready to fly around the world. If you could have any animal help you in any way (clearly, use you’re imagination — it doesn’t have to and probably shouldn’t be feasible in real life) which animal would you want to help you and what would they help you with? Have fun with this.
18. What creates a likable person? Is there any such thing as a completely unlikable person? I like lists — so make lists of traits that, in your mind, create likability and the ones that diminish it. Can a person be both? How much does one have to override the other for it to define them? Is it ever universal? Explain.
19. Approximately 40% of American people are obese. Approximately 25% of American people are starving. Both percentages rise every year. How is this possible to have both happening in the same country and what can be done to stop it? This is not one of the prompts where I want you to imagine a perfect world — I want you to give me realistic and logical, well-thought-out solutions to a completely contradictory problem that is all too real. Does such a solution exist? How can we fix this issue so people are not dealing with the potentially fatal diseases that come with obesity while others are dying from starvation in the SAME COUNTRY… one of the wealthiest nations in the world. (Hint: that is a little fact that you probably shouldn’t avoid).
20. Whether you have children or you need to create imaginary children — think like a parent for this one. Who do you trust around your kids and why…. Would you be more trusting of a woman over a man? Would you be more trusting of someone who had a child with them over someone who didn’t? How old should a babysitter be to provide proper care? What would make you more nervous at a playground — a mother openly discussing her anti-vaxxer viewpoints with her four unvaccinated children or a man standing alone? Would you trust someone the same race as you over someone who was not? Who do you tell your children to ask to help them if they get separated from you? As a parent — who do you trust and why? I do fully expect you to choose one from each of the examples I gave you and then explain exactly who it is you trust with your children and why. And does that trust change over time? If so — what are the age ranges of your child that change the level of trust you have over who is around them? Think like a first-time parent. Even if you don’t have kids, imagine if you did and answer for what you think you’d feel. If you do have kids but they’re older — make them younger in the world as it is right now. You can compare it to how things were when they were younger if you’d like but I want you to make sure you think about it from the current perspective. Do you let your kids take pictures with Santa? A stranger in a suit hired by a mall… does it make you feel weird? Think think think.
21. Tis the season for giving and sometimes companies will create charitable advertising. Mastercard ran a campaign earlier this year where for every purchase you made at restaurants or grocery stores (including deliveries) on your Mastercard, they’d add one penny and donate that amount up to 5 million dollars to Stand Up To Cancer. What do you think about campaigns like this? Why don’t they just donate the 5 million if they’re trying to get the tax write-off or all things forbid — do something good? Why the added penny? What’s that about? Why not additional change to the next dollar amount? Explain that to me. Do you find yourself falling prey to this type of advertising? Will you spend more money if there is a cause involved or does it turn you away from it? Explain your reasoning.
22. We’ve discussed issues with eyewitnesses in previous prompts but now we’re going to look at a different angle. People want to help solve a crime so they will claim to have seen things that lead to nowhere. This phenomenon increases by over 100 times as many accounts when the crime involves a child. People will believe that the cable van was parked outside for weeks (it was actually there yesterday and today only) or that they saw a strange white windowless van (the standard Ford Kidnapper 2023) drive by several times in the last month. Which they actually did not. These accounts actually slow down solve rates by police tracking false leads. But why does it happen? Is it truly just people trying to help? Is it fear? Do they really believe they saw something or are they just using the crime to get on the news? Why does this happen? Don’t research it — think about it.
23. There’s a commercial on television for Cologuard. It’s a test that you do at home and mail in (poor, poor mail carriers just trying to deliver holiday packages on time and they have to deliver THAT too??) which is to get you out of doing a routine colonoscopy. At the end of the commercial, it says “False positive and negative results may occur”. So basically — you can not really trust the results no matter what they are? Why would anyone do this? For that matter — why would anyone take any medication that they see commercials for? The side effect list is absolutely insane. Joint pain relief meds that cause cancer or diabetes medication that can lead to a life-threatening brain infection or another one (I can’t remember what it treats) that causes you to be more prone to infection and ALSO unable to fight infections. What. The. Fuck? How are these things getting FDA approval? This is something I genuinely find strange, spend a lot of time thinking about, and now — I’m gifting that thought process to you. Think it over. Tell me what you come up with. Medical commercials — what the actual fuck?
24. Rewrite the poem, A Visit From St. Nicholas by Clement Clarke Moore but make it about your house. It MUST start with “Twas the night before Christmas” and it MUST rhyme. The rest is up to you. It can be funny, crazy, scary, dramatic, fictional, real, loving, happy — whatever you want. This is literally the only time I will ever ask you to write a poem. Which sucks because now I have to do it too but it was too tempting. I gave you a link to the poem so you can follow the flow but if you don’t, I won’t be mad about it. (You don’t have to write the entire thing — it’s quite long, do as much as you can).
25. Murder Christmas! I mean… Merry Christmas! No, I really meant Murder Christmas 😈 This idea was inspired by Paula Shablo who said I should do a prompt about murder around the holiday season. And I thought… challenge accepted. You are the killer. Your ONLY weapons — must be holiday items. Who do you kill, how do you kill them, and what was their holiday-based crime? Their death must be holiday-related! *PLEASE make sure Medium knows this is fictional and a prompt! And don’t actually kill people…. Merry Christmas to all and may you all survive the night!!!!!
26. Holidays over and everyone’s tired but I’m still going! Do you think that music is important in life? Why or why not? List your top five favorite songs to sing (even if you’re a bad singer, everyone sings in their car… right? I think? If you truly NEVER sing — I don’t believe you — but list your top five favorite songs of all time). List the top five singers you love to listen to. List the top five singers/songs you absolutely HATE. If your life was turned into a song — what would it be called and what genre would it be in? What do you think of musicals and why? What do you think music provides people? Basically, anything you can come up with surrounding music in your life — put it in this response just make sure you answer the things I gave you as well and beyond just you — the scope of music’s impact on the general population.
27. It’s my husband’s birthday! So let’s talk about marriage — give me an overall examination of it as an institution and as a relationship between two people. I’m not interested in religious views of it, I want you to view this philosophically. By now, that thought process should be pretty obvious but if you want more clarification… is marriage necessary? Is marriage purposeful? Does it enhance a relationship? Does it destroy a relationship? Is it something you had/have/want? Should there be age restrictions? What age restrictions? How do you know when you’re ready? How do you know if you’re not? Think beyond a wedding and only about a marriage. Details matter here.
28. “Life is too short”. People say this constantly. Yet, all people do things that they do not want to do or that they do not like to do. What do you dislike doing that you do and why do you do it? List as many things as you want to. What would change about your life if you stopped doing them? Is it possible to stop doing them? What about other people? Are there people in your life that you think you’d probably be better off without? Why are they in your life and what keeps you from eliminating them (not killing them, I can be very murdery in my prompts but in this case, I just mean — not talking to them or seeing them anymore)? What about the world as a whole? What kinds of things and which people in the public eye — would life simply be better without? Start with yourself and work your way out. Explain each choice and really think about why we tolerate these things in a life that is too short. This prompt falls on what was my heart-dog, Torey’s birthday. Her life was 16 years, one month, and 24 days long… and an eternity too short.
29. At what point does childhood end? When does a boy become a man and a girl become a woman? In certain religions, there are rituals that dictate this but I don’t care about that — I want your opinions and thoughts. What constitutes the difference between childhood and adulthood? Where is the line and what does it consist of? Explain your thoughts.
30. Alright to end the year, we’re going to do a two-day prompt like we did for Halloween. If you want you can combine them into one piece and go enjoy New Year's Eve! Part one — why do people make resolutions and then not stick to them? What resolutions have you made and not kept? How quickly did you give them up? Have you ever made a resolution and actually saw it through completely? Do you have any resolutions this year? Share them. If you don’t — make up completely ridiculous ones. Either way, I fully encourage you all to read each others and place bets on the dates they will be given up on based on the first part of the prompt admitting past resolution defeat. I never claimed to be nice 😎 Resolution fight club! AND GO!
31. Auld Lang Syne means “times long past”. It’s a strange song to sing at the start of a new year and talks about forgetting old acquaintances while sharing a cup of kindness. Essentially, it makes no sense to me at all. Write your own New Years welcome. It can be a song, a poem, a letter to the year ahead or an essay about your hope for the year ahead. But as much as I’ve enjoyed toying with your minds for the past eight months… I’m ending the year with hope. Which is something I don’t do often so cherish it. Everyone who takes part in this prompt — must create a slogan to be yelled at midnight. Something FUN. And I absolutely dare you all to keep track… and actually do it! Happy New Year!

And with that, we wrap up Ruby’s Mind Melt of 2023. What will 2024 bring?

I guess you’ll have to wait and see…

See you next year!!!! And don’t forget to tag me!!!!!!!!

Copyright Ruby Noir 2023

Brett Jenae Tomlin, The Sturg, Vidya Sury, Collecting Smiles, Trisha Faye, Karen Schwartz, Katie Michaelson, Michelle Jimerson Morris, Amy Frances, Julia A. Keirns, Tina, Pat Romito LaPointe, Brandon Ellrich, Misty Rae, Karen Hoffman, Susie Winfield, Vincent Pisano, Paari, Marlene Samuels, Ray Day, Michael Rhodes, Pluto Wolnosci, Paula Shablo, Bruce Coulter, Ellen Baker, Leigh-Anne Dennison, Jennifer Marla Pike, Carmen Ballesteros, Marlana, MSW, Patricia Timmermans, Teisha LeShea, Rachella Angel Page, Lynn L. Alexander, Adrian CDTPPW, Lisa Guard, Rampath, Sweet Honeylu