Standard mp3 disclaimer: These songs are provided for your sampling entertainment only; please delete after twenty-four hours if you do not intend to buy the respective albums. We'll take down the links after the month of December is over. And please-- enjoy!

* Hikari. [from Kingdom Hearts Original Soundtrack.] The whole Kingdom Hearts soundtrack goes on rotation in our Christmas playlist, because it's just so festive. It was so hard to choose just two tracks to share! I seriously recommend the whole thing.

* Estersand. [from Final Fantasy XII Original Soundtrack.] In our playthrough, the first time this track got a lot of play was when we'd just freed Basch from Nalbina Dungeons-- and this piece of music is so unabashedly upbeat, it was like seeing the sun for the first time in two years. Well, not that it took us that long in that gosh-darned electric dungeon, but it sure felt like it.

* Chocobo's Happy Christmas. [by Masashi Hamauzu.] Okay, so this one actually is Christmas music. But it's still recognizably the chocobo theme from the Final Fantasy series, too, so we couldn't help but include it. Kweh!

* To the Future of Dreams -- Chorus. [from Mana Khemia Original Soundtrack.] This is the primary BGM for the school in Mana Khemia, where you spend most of your time. For your first two years in school, this is instrumental only-- and then suddenly, senior year, there are words! We were charmed (though a bit chagrined, in that it made it more difficult to sing our own nonsensical words along to the tune).

* Fortress on the Water (Liberation Army HQ BGM). [from Suikoden I Original Soundtrack.] Is there any feeling better than recruiting 108 stars in your own castle? No, I didn't think so.

* Tai Ho Kun ("The Blue Badger")'s March. [from Gyakuten Kenji Orchestral Album.] We got the Japanese release of "Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth" because... well, because we're giant dorks. But it came with a lot of perks, one of which was an orchestral album with adorable remixes of game music. This Blue Badger's March sounds like it could be off a Hallmark Best of Christmas CD. Look out for dancing Gumshoes.

* Sayonara wa Mirai no Hajimari (Goodbye is the Beginning of Tomorrow). [from Yuu Yuu Hakusho, performed by Ogata Megumi (Kurama).] The song that tempted us to share these collections in the first place. My sister, back in the day, got a mess of YYH CDs, and something about the bells in this one has always, always, been Christmas to me.

* Divinity II. [from FF7: Advent Children Original Soundtrack.] Again, we watched Advent Children in December 2005, so that might have colored our perception of the music. This is my favorite piece, though: Cloud getting his groove back at last. It's classic Final Fantasy: "traveling with your friends gives your life meaning." And also helps you to kick ass.

* Victory! ~ The First Victory. [from Cadenza "Gyakuten Saiban 1," orchestrations of Phoenix Wright music by Magical Trick Society.] If this doesn't make you feel like you just won a difficult court battle, nothing will. Hopefully Edgeworth is treating everyone to dinner, because I'm pretty sure Phoenix's client isn't paying, and neither Larry nor Gumshoe have the budget for it. But it's okay: we've triumphed in spite of adversity, and now we're together with friends, right?