If the weather outside is frightful (or blistering hot in the Southern Hemisphere), take a break indoors and check out the endless entertainment Xbox LIVE offers you and your family this December.

Fight the urge to sneak a peek at your presents from the family and let Xbox LIVE Marketplace fill your December with holiday surprises. Starting December 18 through December 31, enjoy limited time, one-day discounts on select Xbox LIVE Marketplace content every day – games, movies, blockbuster game add-ons, holiday themes, you name it! Available to all Xbox LIVE Gold and Silver members, everyone can celebrate the countdown to the New Year with a special gift from Xbox LIVE! Be sure to check the console dashboard daily for the latest info.

A Tacky Holiday Sweater for your Avatar

On December 10, get your Avatar in the holiday spirit with specialty items including an ugly holiday sweater and even a free holiday gift for your Avatar to unwrap! And make sure they’re dressed to impress with signature tokidoki gear too, including an assortment of trademark tees and a pair of tokidoki-themed rain boots. Wishes really do come true during the holidays! Dress your Avatar in magical Disney apparel when Disney Classics (Disney) releases on Avatar Marketplace December 24.

Here Comes Santa Claus with Deals of the Week

Deal of the Week continuously delivers more fun to Xbox LIVE Gold Members for less points, so take advantage of these supreme deals each week in December.

• Week of December 7: Fallout 3: Operation Anchorage game add-on (Bethesda) | Japan: 560 Microsoft Points, rated M for Mature by the ESRB.
• Week of December 14: Lips: Coldplay Track Pack (Microsoft Game Studios) | Worldwide except Japan and India: 240 Microsoft Points, rated E for Everyone by the ESRB.
• Week of December 14: Pinball FX (ZEN Studios) | Japan: 400 Microsoft Points, rated E for Everyone by the ESRB.
• Week of December 21: Shadow Complex (Epic/Chair Entertainment) | Worldwide: From the producers of Gears of War comes Shadow Complex, a modern and masterful side-scrolling shooter. Winner of nine “Best of E3″ awards, Shadow Complex combines the quality and depth of a retail title with the accessibility you love, available exclusively on Xbox LIVE Arcade. From December 21 through December 27, get Shadow Complex for 800 Microsoft Points, a 33% savings. Shadow Complex is rated T for Teen by the ESRB.
• Week of December 28: The Maw (Twisted Pixel) | Worldwide: 400 Microsoft Points, rated E for Everyone by the ESRB.

Make your Holidays Bright with Xbox LIVE Arcade!

Xbox LIVE Arcade delivers quality downloadable games at the best value to light up your holidays.

• December 16: Alien Breed Evolution (Episode 1) (Team 17) | Worldwide: The game features incredible fidelity and attention to detail throughout, awesome audio effects, and an engaging single-player narrative. The pulsating story takes the game’s hero through an intense ride through a stricken craft, onto a mysterious, ageing hulk ship and beyond. In addition to the explosive single-player story, there’s a relentless, action packed, two-player cooperative battle mode for online and offline local action with a number of difficulty modes to challenge all skills. Available for 800 Microsoft Points, Alien Breed Evolution (Episode 1) is rated T for Teen by the ESRB.
• December 23: Trials HD BIG PACK! (Redlynx) | Worldwide : Fans of Trials HD, one of this summer’s hottest downloadable games, can get ready for more fun and insane challenges with the add-on, Trials HD BIG PACK! Rev your engines with 35 new racing and skill tracks, over 50 new crazy physics objects, tournaments, new achievements worth 50 extra Gamerscore, and more. Trials HD BIG PACK! releases December 23 on Xbox LIVE Arcade at 400 points and is rated T for Teen by the ESRB. Fasten your helmet and prepare for serious bruises!

Chestnuts, Cocoa, Snowflakes, and Games on Demand

Games on Demand titles are available for quick, convenient download 24×7. Check out some of this month’s top titles to add to your collection.

• December 1: Crackdown (Microsoft Game Studios) | Worldwide except Germany, Japan and Korea: Prepare for the upcoming release of Crackdown 2 by revisiting the award-winning predecessor, Crackdown. Take on the role of judge, jury, and executioner as you restore peace by any means necessary in Pacific City, a crime-ridden urban center primed to explode and ready for you to explore. Enter the vast and fully explorable world as you clean up the streets the only way you know how. Your way.
• December 8: Disney Bolt (Disney) | North America and Europe: Join Bolt and Penny as they travel the globe on a dangerous mission to save Penny’s Dad from the evil Dr. Calico.
• December 15: Viva Piñata: Party Animals (Microsoft Game Studios) | Worldwide except Japan: Compete in a variety of zany battles and races in the social party game Viva Piñata: Party Animals. Control the fame, fortune, and destiny of all your favorite characters from Viva Piñata: Fergy Fudgehog, Paulie Pretztail, Franklin Fizzlybear, and Hudson Horstachio. It’s party time!
• December 22: Lost Planet:Extreme Condition Colonies Edition (Capcom Entertainment, Inc.) | Worldwide except Australia, New Zealand, Japan, and India: Lost Planet: Extreme Condition Colonies Edition provides explosive action for both offline and online players, and allows cross-platform play between Xbox 360 and PC, all in time to prepare for the anticipated release of the upcoming Lost Planet sequel.
• December 22: Devil May Cry 4 (CAPCOM Co., Ltd.) | Worldwide except Japan: Devil May Cry 4 immerses you in a gothic supernatural world, where a new protagonist clashes with a familiar hero. As the new leading man Nero, unleash incredible attacks and non-stop combos using the unique new gameplay mechanic of his powerful “Devil Bringer” arm.
• December 29: Gears of War (Microsoft Game Studios) | Worldwide except Japan and Germany: Gears of War fans, check out the original title that started it all! Developed by Epic Games, Gears of War thrusts gamers into a deep and harrowing story of humankind’s epic battle for survival against the Locust Horde, a nightmarish race of creatures that surface from the bowels of the planet. Players take on the role of Marcus Fenix, a disgraced war hero who seeks personal redemption as he leads his fire team against the Locust onslaught. Gears of War unites breathtaking visuals with classic, emotional storytelling and a revolutionary tactical combat system, engrossing the gamer in a horrifying epic story of war and survival.

Source: Xbox Press Releases & Feature Stories

QIX++ is now available for download from the Xbox Live Marketplace. QIX++ is available in the all Xbox Live regions (except Australia, India, Korea or New Zealand) and costs 800 points.

Inheriting the style of the renowned arcade title, QIX++ allows you to take up the fight again in a variety of different ways. With customized weapon improvements, a technique-based scoring system, and events triggered by opening Item Containers, the evolution of the series has truly come a long way.

The object of the game is to defeat the QIX using the marker. When the total area cut off by the marker reaches a percentage equal to the Threshold, your final attack begins and you have cleared the stage.

Call of Duty Classic is now available for download from the Xbox Live Marketplace. Call of Duty Classic is available in the all Xbox Live regions (except Germany) and costs 1200 points.

For the first time ever, Infinity Ward’s 2003 award-winning game that launched a franchise comes to consoles in Call of Duty Classic. Relive the original Call of Duty experience in high definition, including online multiplayer on Xbox LIVE with Leaderboard support.

Madden NFL Arcade is now available for download from the Xbox Live Marketplace. Madden NFL Arcade is available in the all Xbox Live regions and costs 1200 points.

Feel the excitement of the NFL with a fun, fast-paced, 5-on-5 football experience. Madden NFL Arcade for Xbox LIVE Arcade brings the 10 best players from each of the 32 NFL teams on offense and defense together to battle it out on the gridiron. No penalties, no clock, just pure adrenaline, as each team has four downs to march 60 yards downfield for the score. Madden NFL Arcade takes everything you love about your favorite NFL stars and stadiums and brings them to life in a fun, high-scoring gridiron battle!

Diner Dash is now available for download from the Xbox Live Marketplace. Diner Dash is available in the all Xbox Live regions (except Korea) and costs 800 points.

Diner Dash, the number one PC time-management game has landed onto Xbox LIVE! Guide Flo, a former office-worker turned restaurateur, as she builds up her diner empire. Go online and face players in head to head matches to see who’s the best Flo. Join up with a friend or another player online for a Team Dash game where your team takes on six other players to see whose diner is the best in town.

Gyromancer is now available for download from the Xbox Live Marketplace. Gyromancer is available in the all Xbox Live regions (except Korea) and costs 1200 points.

Gyromancer is a puzzle-role playing game (RPG) featuring a unique battle system based on Bejeweled Twist combined with elements of Square Enix role-playing games. This is one experience you won’t want to miss. Try it now!

Encleverment Experiment is now available for download from the Xbox Live Marketplace. Encleverment Experiment is available in the all Xbox Live regions and costs 800 points.

A myriad of mini-games to make your mind more magnificent await in the Encleverment Experiment! Join Professor Ivor Question in his lab and test your mental faculties to the limit. One to four players compete in 16 mind-bending games, collecting Noodles (the currency of geniuses!) to spend on over 50 collectable Mascots. Or Take-A-Test and track your ongoing Encleverment over time! Train the four quadrants of your brain or use the Home-Made game feature to create your own quiz shows. With 15 in-game opponents to beat, many multiplayer modes, full Avatar support and the Professor as your guide, the Encleverment never ends!

0D Beat Drop is now available for download from the Xbox Live Marketplace. 0D Beat Drop is available in the all Xbox Live regions and costs 800 points.

The fusion of “rhythm” and “puzzle” creates a completely new kind of game in 0D Beat Drop! Drop pieces along with the beat, and go for the win with explosive chains. In addition to the single player mode with over 100 stages, online play includes options such as playing against a single player, playing with four players total, or having a team battle! The unique “Beat-O-Matic” function analyzes your own songs and lets you use them in the game. Feel the rhythm of the beat!