Going out

        Carolfest: Raise the rafters at Music Hall with just about every carol you ever heard when the May Festival Chorus leads Cincinnati's favorite sing-a-long. And don't worry if you can't carry a tune in a bucket. Half the audience can't. 2 and 5 p.m. today, Music Hall. $4.50-$8. 381-3300.

        James Patterson: He's one of the biggies: The author of Kiss the Girls and Make Them Die, Pop Goes the Weasel and When the Wind Blows unpacks his latest thriller, the ever so gruesome Roses are Red. 1 p.m. today, Joseph-Beth Booksellers, Rookwood Pavilion, Norwood. 396-8960.

        Train show: Need to feel like a kid again? Here's the place: State-of-the-art advanced model trains, old Lionel and American Flyers are on display and for sale. It's the Great American Train Show, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. today, Albert B. Sabin Convention Center. $6, free under age 12. (630) 834-0652.

        Alejandro Escovedo: It's just like home, sitting around the parlor listening to the artist who wedded a punk-rock attitude with classic rock roots. He and his trio play an intimate evening in the Southgate House parlor. 8 p.m. today, 24 E. Third St., Newport. $12. 779-9462.

Staying In

        TV picks: You'd think it was still sweeps month with all the choices today: In His Life: The John Lennon Story (9 p.m., Channels 5, 22); Frank Herbert's Dune (9-11 p.m. today through Tuesday, Sci-Fi); Unwrapped: The Mysterious World of Mummies (8-11 p.m., Learning Channel) and a repeat of last January's The Sopranos (8 p.m., HBO).

        • TV Critic John Kiesewetter says holiday specials today include Winnie the Pooh and Christmas Too (7 p.m., Channels 9, 2), Tangerine Bear: Home in Time for Christmas (7:30 p.m., Channels 9, 2)and Papa's Angels (9 p.m., Channels 12, 7), a movie about a 1930s Appalachian Christmas.

The Goods (What's in stores today)

        Santa photos: Pets getting the holiday blues? What with all the hustle and bustle and not much for them to do? Try having his picture taken with Santa at a PetsMart store. Hours: 11 a.m.-5 p.m. today, Saturday and next Sunday. You get two pictures for $9.95. Half the money goes to animal welfare groups.

Planning Ahead

        24 hours out: Banging the drum loudly, the popular Percussion Ensemble at Miami University knocks out a host of world-inspired holiday favorites. 8 p.m. Monday, Hall Auditorium, Oxford. (513) 529-3014.

        48 hours out: Only a larger-than-life contemporary musical could do justice to the larger-than-life story of the birth of Christ. Child of Promise is nothing if not BIG. All-star cast includes Steven Curtis Chapman as Joseph. 8 p.m. Tuesday, Firstar Center. $15-$19.50. 562-4949.

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Have yourself a tuneful little Christmas
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