Mystery Cam: In The Mood

So, the holiday season is upon us -- only a couple weeks until Thanksgiving, and then not long until the other holidays (Christmas, Chanukah, or the holiday of your choice).

This time of year usually sneaks up on me, and I'm caught unprepared, running to the mall the week before Christmas and wandering aimlessly about, seeking presents.

But this year, I'm in the mood. I really am. The Christmas CDs have been out for more than a week now, and I've already purchased a couple of presents. There is even a short string of colored star-shaped lights hanging in one of my windows, although I can't take credit for that. My roommate and I got them as a gift and she hung them -- but I didn't argue. I'm ready this year.

In my large family, my parents, brothers, sisters and I draw names for Christmas presents. When we all lived at home, the drawing would take place in early December. Heck, if you only have to buy one gift, why draw earlier? And with a passel of little kids around, a couple weeks is plenty of time to keep secrets.

But when my sister-in-law made her debut in the annual drawings, she begged to at least move it up to Thanksgiving weekend. We did so rather grudgingly, since the rest of us weren't in a Christmasy mood yet.

But this year, I'm on her side. I want that name now.

Why my sudden mood change this year? I'm not sure. I could blame the commercialization -- how many holiday-type ads have we already seen? But seeing as such ads have had little effect in past years, it's probably not that.

In any case, I'll be ready this year. I won't have to take time off work right before Christmas to finish up my shopping (as these days, I buy more than just the one family-name gift).

But until then, I'll ease my anticipation by busying myself with a new Mystery Cam (pictured, below). Can you guess this one yet?

Last Week

In last week's column, Scott took us to Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The cereal clue threw about half the responses to Battle Creek, Mich.

The winners were Elizabeth Orcutt-Kroeger, Will Kelton and Carrie Sawyer.

This Week's Clues

Most people in this richly historical city are also preparing for the Christmas season, although they'll also celebrate on Dec. 6 when Mikulas brings children gifts. On Christmas Eve, they'll enjoy fish dishes, a tradition that likely originated when more people relied on the river for their day-to-day food.

And that's all you're getting this week. If the clues weren't quite enough, you can dig through the links above, and you'll eventually match this image. The first three correct respondents will be hailed in next week's column.

Send in those guesses!