Hoosiers gathered to attempt to break the world record for dreidel spinning in Bloomington on Dec. 2.

Wassail, a spiked punch, dates back to Medieval times.

Chestnuts are popular roasting items during the holidays.

How often have you listened to the songs of the holidays and wished you could stage your own carol tableau? What is wassail, and how can you find it locally? Just how safe is roasting chestnuts on an open fire?

"I have a little dreidel / I made it out of clay / And when it's dry and ready / Then dreidel I shall play!"
-Traditional

This catchy and vaguely mind-numbing song reminds us of an awesome little game called dreidel. The dreidel game has no real religious significance; the Hebrew letters on the dreidel form an acronym meaning, "A great miracle happened there."

To play the game, children spin the dreidel, and depending on which Hebrew letter appears face up, a player may win or have to contribute to the pot. If you're too busy to make your own dreidel, head to Global Gifts, 1468 W. 86th St., (317) 879-9090, and the gift shop at Congregation Beth-El Zedeck, 600 W. 70th St, (317) 253-3441.

"Here we come a-wassailing / Among the leaves so green / Here we come a wand'ring / So fair to be seen."
-Traditional

Wassail? Is that like parasailing? No, no -- wassail is a spiced punch, and it's something you mull over and drink in good health. This warm drink goes back to medieval times.

From Epicurious.com, citing "House & Garden Drink Guide," November 1973, you can make wassail as follows:

Ingredients:
10 small apples
10 teaspoons brown sugar
2 bottles dry sherry or Madeira
1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground ginger
3 cloves
3 allspice berries
1 inch stick cinnamon
2 cups superfine sugar
1/2 cup water
6 eggs, separated
1 cup brandy

Directions: Core the apples and fill each with a teaspoon of brown sugar. Place in a baking pan and cover the bottom with 61/87 inch of water. Bake in a 350-degree oven for 30 minutes or until tender. Combine the sherry or Madeira, nutmeg, ginger, cloves, allspice berries, cinnamon, sugar and water in a large, heavy saucepan and heat without letting the mixture come to a boil. Leave on very low heat. Beat the egg yolks until light and lemon-colored. Beat the whites until stiff and fold them into the yolks. Strain the wine mixture and add gradually to the eggs, stirring constantly. Add the brandy. Pour into a metal punch bowl, float the apples on top and serve in 8-ounce mugs.

"Do you see what I see? A star, a star, dancing in the night, With a tail as big as a kite." -"Do You Hear What I Hear?" Noel Regney, Gloria Shayne, 1962

Whether you take such occurrences as meteor showers, as religious portents or as natural displays of beauty, there is a chance for you to catch a star. The Geminids meteor shower will be visible the night of Dec. 13 and during the predawn hours of Dec. 14.

If you're worried about missing the Geminids as they cross the night sky, the Holcomb Observatory of Butler University has private group tours. The observatory is one of the largest public observatories in the world and houses a 38-inch Cassegrain reflector. Visit www.butler.edu/holcomb for more information.

"Chestnuts roasting on an open fire, Jack Frost nipping at your nose..."
-Torme and Wells, 1946

Chestnuts can be roasted in the oven (on a cookie sheet at 400 degrees) or in a roasting box with a long stick. Cut crosses in the nuts' hulls before cooking, then roast them in the oven until they pop.

Wild Oats (1300 E. 86th St.) has chestnuts for $5.99 a pound (conventional) and $9.99 a pound (organic). Sunflower Market (1021 Broad Ripple Ave.) has the nuts for $5.49 a pound.

"Here we are as in olden days / Happy golden days of yore."
-"Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas," Blane and Martin, 1943

Are you overcome with nostalgia for holidays gone by? Indy has some ways to indulge that. Tour the James Whitcomb Riley Home for a Victorian Christmas. Christmas at the James Whitcomb Riley Home, 528 Lockerbie St. 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., through Dec. 30. $3 for adults, 50 cents for children ages 7 through 17. Or take a Christmas tour of President Benjamin Harrison's Home circa 1888. Family Christmas at the President's Home, Benjamin Harrison Home, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Dec. 15, $7 for adults, $4 for children.

"We're happy tonight. Walking in a winter wonderland."
-"Winter Wonderland," Felix Bernard, 1934

Ahh, a winter wonderland in which to walk and fall in love. The Circle City is full of magical spots. Walk along the Downtown Canal to see the night reflecting off the water; Broad Ripple is decked out in shimmering red and gold lights of romance. Crown Hill Cemetery (open during the daytime) might be blanketed by a sheet of snow.

"There'll be parties for hosting, marshmallows for toasting and caroling out in the snow."
-"It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year," Eddie Pola, George Wyle, 1963

When was the last time you saw carolers?

Check out Christmas on the Corner. A Broad Ripple house at 6194 Primrose Ave. opens Dec. 8 with a lighting ceremony à la "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation" to raise money for the Ronald McDonald House, which provides a temporary home-away-from-home for families of seriously ill or injured children hospitalized in the Indianapolis area.

The outside lighting is accompanied by family activities including cookie decorating, picture-taking with Santa and caroling. The cheer continues Monday through Thursday evenings until Dec. 20. Visit www.christmasonthecorner.org for more information on visiting the house or making a monetary donation.

"On the 12th day of Christmas, my true love gave to me ..... 12 drummers drumming." -"12 Days of Christmas," Traditional

Gifts of drum lessons are perhaps the ones folks most regret, but if your little drummer boy or girl will accept nothing less for the holidays, Bongo Boy Music School not only has a free Thursday night drum circle, the school also offers lessons to aspiring drummers. Visit www.bongo%boymusic.com for more information.

"Gone away is the bluebird, Here to stay is a new bird."
-"Winter Wonderland," Felix Bernard, 1934

What is that new bird? Where did the bluebird go? At 7:30 p.m. Dec. 11, head to Holliday Park's Nature Center, 6363 Spring Mill Road, to hear Master Song Recorder Geoff Keller talk about bird songs. Visit www.amosbutleraudubon.org for more information.

"So deck those halls, trim those trees / Raise up cups of Christmas cheer, I just need to catch my breath, Christmas by myself this year."
-"Christmas Wrapping," the Waitresses, 1981.

Spending the holiday by yourself? It's not the end of the world, says Silvia Bigatti, associate professor in the Psychology Department of Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis. Bigatti, who focuses on stress research, encourages folks to see stressful situations as scenarios in which the glass is half full. "There has to be something good to it," she says. "And when there isn't, try to find something in the community ... there's always a lot of need for volunteers around the holidays. If you can find a volunteer opportunity, you'll get a sense of having done something good and having not wasted that time alone." If you want to be alone, Bigatti suggests taking a vacation -- just being away from home, if not with the folks you love. If possible, find a way to be with your loved ones in spirit, perhaps by sending and receiving packages.