X has shared some new stats and tips to help marketers capitalize on ‘Q5,’ or the period between Christmas and New Year, when social media activity sees a sudden surge.

More people at home for the holidays means that they also have more time on their hands, and while big brands tend to slow their ad spend in the period, that also means that smaller businesses can get more reach, due to reduced competition for attention.  

And according to X, ‘tis the season of opportunity in the app:

“Q5 – the ‘hidden quarter’ from late December to mid-January – isn't downtime. It's your low-competition launchpad for 2026 growth, where X users shift to post-holiday deal-hunting, resolution-setting, and conversation around travel, sports, fitness and more. Tap in to connect with motivated, affluent audiences primed for action.”

Indeed, according to X’s data, many topics see a big rise in discussion activity in the period.

If these topics relate to your brand, that could make it an ideal time to connect with your target audience, with, again, lower competition for ad attention, and subsequently lower costs for reach.

As you can see in this graphic, X also highlights New Year’s and CES, which happens early in the new year (January 6th to 9th), as key opportunities to boost your ad activity, and connect with active X users, who are looking for information.

If your audience is on X, these could be valuable considerations, offering more ways to boost your brand and marketing efforts, with less spend. Or it may be an opportunity to try out X’s evolving ad targeting systems, to see what results you get.

Either way, it’s worth considering, with these stats showing that X activity is likely to maintain, if not increase, in the post-Christmas period.