If you've been grinding the Naughty and Nice event and eyeing that Holiday Cheer Score bar, you've probably already learned the hard way: it isn't your normal match score. You can drop a huge game and still see barely any progress, which feels broken until you realise it's basically a separate counter tied to the Holiday Havoc ruleset. If you're trying to get it done fast, a lot of players end up looking at stuff like CoD BO7 Boosting while they figure out what actually moves the needle, because the in-game explanation doesn't exactly help.

What actually counts

The Cheer Score climbs off specific "event" actions, not raw slaying. Kills might drip-feed a little, but they're not the engine. The big swings come from interactions the playlist wants you doing: revealing enemies for your team, helping teammates win fights, and messing with the mode's special drops. If you're running around like it's standard TDM, it's going to feel like you're stuck on 0% forever, even when you're top of the lobby.

Build a support streak loadout

This is the part people hate, because it means ditching the fun streaks for a bit. Swap to UAV, Counter-UAV, and HARP. Not because they look good on the scoreboard, but because they quietly print Cheer points through reveal assists. You'll see the little notification pop up for a tiny amount at a time, and yeah, it's not exciting. But it stacks while you're fighting, rotating, reloading, doing anything. Keep the streak cycle tight, don't hoard them, and call them in the second you earn them so the timer works for you, not against you.

Play the gimmick, not just the objective

Holiday Havoc's care package drops are basically the mode saying, "Hey, come interact with this." Do it. Make it a habit: clear the lane, grab the box, pop it, use whatever it gives you. Even if it's not your favourite reward, it's still progress. You'll also notice lobbies where everyone ignores the drops because they're scared of getting beamed crossing mid. That's your chance to be a little selfish and scoop them up. If you can, run with one teammate and trade cover so you're not donating free kills.

How the grind usually feels

Even when you're doing it right, it's a slow burn. Some matches will fly because the lobby's chaotic and your reveals are constant; other matches drag because nobody's moving and your streaks don't get value. Don't fixate on K/D for a few games. Watch for the event notifications, keep the support streaks rolling, and prioritise those drops whenever they appear. If you want to cut out the guesswork while you're pushing the last chunk, a lot of folks pair the strategy with cheap CoD BO7 Boosting so the time spent feels a bit more predictable.