Holiday season (11.11, Black Friday, Lunar New Year) brings the year's highest sales but also the priciest ads: CPMs typically rise 50–100% in peak week. The winners are those who prepare 6 weeks ahead.
Weeks 1–2 (6 weeks out): shoot and test holiday-themed creative while CPM is still cheap; build retargeting pools with low-cost traffic/video-view campaigns — these pools become gold in peak season.
Weeks 3–4: feed the pixel purchase data; lock the hero product list and offer levels; prepare a load-tested landing page and verify it on mobile.
Peak week: concentrate budget on retargeting the pools you built (high conversion, less auction pressure); keep bids flexible as auctions swing hourly; and watch inventory closely — advertising a sold-out product burns money for nothing.
After the holiday: don't switch everything off. The week after peak, CPM drops sharply while shopping intent lingers — a gap most shops waste, perfect for win-back offers to viewers who didn't buy.