Emphasis this month appears to be geared toward selling anything cold that may be perceived as holiday themed or even seasonal. Example? When I play matches on Gears of War 2's "Snowblind" map pack, I'm not magically transported to the land of holiday cheer in my mind's eye. Nor do I start to think of the world as a beautiful winter wonderland. According to Microsoft, having snow of any kind counts and the map pack is being added to a discounted list of similarly chilly items for the next "Deal of the Week" promotion.

December also brings the release of three new Xbox Live Arcade titles, in a small promotion titled "Games for the Holidays: Presented by Microsoft Game Studios." On December 22, A World of Keflings launches, with Raskulls and ilomilo being available on December 29 and January 5, respectively. All three titles are priced at 800MS Points.

Xbox Live Deal of the Week (Gold Members Only)
Week of December 6 - Winter Wonderland
• Polar Panic, 400MS Points (50% off)
• Burton Snowboard, 120MS Points (50% off)
• Burton RED Hi Fi Helmet, 80MS Points (50% off)
• Gingerbread Man, 120MS Points (50% off)
• Gears of War 2 Snowblind Map Pack, 160MS Points (60% off)
• 3 on 3 NHL Arcade, 200MS Points (50% off)

Week of December 13 - Casual Arcade
• Bejeweled 2, 400MS Points (50% off)
• UNO RUSH, 400MS Points (50% off)
• Zuma, 200MS Points (50% off)
• Tetris Splash, 400MS Points (50% off)
• Feeding Frenzy 2, 400MS Points (50% off)

Xbox Games On Demand
• December 7: Army of Two: The 40th Day
• December 14: Battlefield: Bad Company 2

Xbox Live Avatar Marketplace
• December 2: NBA Collection
• December 2: Trials HD
• December 9: Star Wars: The Force Unleashed 2
• December 9: Holiday Collection

Xbox Game Add-Ons
• December 8: Pinball FX 2: Marvel Comic Table Pack, 800MS Points
• December 14: Forza 3 Community Choice Classics Pack, 400MS Points

Xbox Live Arcade
• December 22: A World of Keflings, 800MS Points
• December 29: Raskulls, 800MS Points
• January 5: ilomilo, 800MS Points

80MS Points = $1 USD
Schedule is subject to change.
All content may not be available in all Xbox Live regions.