Festive Manicures are going to be all the rage this Christmas. But are you in on the trend? You can choose to get merry minimalist, madly magnificent, or a mix of both. But the classic question resurfaces: “Where do we even begin?”
The festive green tips, candy cane stripes, the snowman, or the reindeer? The options are endless, and we love it all. That’s why we’ve gathered some of the most beloved and trending Christmas nails online. Read on to choose your favorite, and bring the holiday spirit to your nails this Christmas Eve!
1. Garland French Tip Nails
The garland French tip nail design is just how we like it—chic, simple, and festive. The delicate green garlands follow the curves of the nail tips, keeping things subtle but distinctly holiday-ready. It’s perfect for all those Christmas parties where you want to look polished without being over the top.
All you need is nude or sheer polish for the base, green decals for the garland, and optional metallic accents or rhinestones to make your it sparkle.
2. The Classic Christmas Tree
Because what’s Christmas without the Xmas tree? This nail art captures the magic of the holiday with mini Christmas tree details. Picture classic green tree decals on your nails with a glistening top coat. It’s minimal, chic, and festive, all in just one design.
To give these classic green trees a trendy touch, keep the base coat muted with a neutral tone like beige, and add the tree designs in pale mint to make them stand out on each tip.
3. Gift Wrap
While everyone else is busy wrapping Christmas gifts, you wrap some on your fingers? We’re talking about the trendy Christmas nails adorned with crisscrossed ribbon patterns, golden bows, and metallic stripes.
You can opt for simple Christmas nail designs with red and white polish to imitate traditional wrapping paper colors or mix them with funky festive shades like purple, green, or gold. Or you can gift-wrapping bows in red or green on each nail over a white base.
4. Mint Candy Nails
Childhood nostalgia turned modern fashion—candy cane nail designs—are one of the most popular holiday nail designs this year. But why always choose the red and white candies when there’s so much green for Christmas? It’s time for mint candy nails to shine!
Get the look using a base of white polish, thin stripes in alternating colors (white and mint), and glitter for extra sparkle. You can even mix up the designs—try white snowflakes, and mint swirls for a funky take on this simple Christmas nail design.
5. The Christmas Elementals
Why pick one Christmas element when you can feature them all? The Christmas Elementals design lets you play with multiple designs, such as snowflakes, the tree, shimmering bells, and the bow—all unique yet Christmas-y.
You can also mix some glitter and metallic accents to make it festive. A clear base finish and tiny Christmas-y designs are all you need to impress everyone at any holiday party.
6. Red Snowflakes
We all know Christmas and winter are incomplete without snowflakes. So, why not combine the quintessential Christmas red with intricate white snowflake patterns to create a festive manicure?
The red snowflake nails are the festive Christmas nail design for anyone who wants to add a wintery twist to their mani. DIY the design using nail stamps or stickers, or hand-draw each snowflake if you’re creative!
7. Sparkle Sparkle Sparkle
For some of us, there’s no such thing as too much glitter during Christmas. With golden or silvery glitter, a simple nail design can turn any classic manicure into a holiday-ready masterpiece. So, get your acrylic nails out and prepare for a festive mani!
Apply fake nails to your tips. Using glitter polish, create an ombré effect starting at the base of your nails and pairing it with a soft-colored base. But why stop there? Add studded charms—hearts, bows, pearls—to match the festive charm of glitter nails.
8. A Must-Have Mistletoe
Under the mistletoe, anyone? Mistletoe-inspired nail art needs a sheer nude base, white French tips, delicately painted little green leaves and tiny red berries. You can go all out with mistletoe on every nail or keep it simple by featuring it on a few accent nails with a different color.
It’s a super cute and whimsical way to bring Christmas vibes to your manicure while keeping it subtle and chic. A festive favorite, this design is always a crowd-pleaser!
9. Red Jelly Nails
Jelly nails are here again! But with a little more translucent and, of course, Christmas-y red nails! A see-through design that feels effortlessly modern while staying on theme with the season’s signature color. What else do you need?
Use a sheer red polish or mix clear polish with a drop of red to get the ‘jelly’ effect. While these red Christmas nail designs look stunning with just that, you can upgrade them with a sprinkle of glitter to one or a few accent nails.
10. Merry Swirls
Swirly nail art has been trending all year and even made its way into Christmas! Green and white swirls create playful and visually striking designs. You can customize the look by varying the thickness of the swirls or adding small sparkly dots for a snow-like effect.
These swirls look beautiful on the coffin or almond-shaped nails. Plus, the unique and creative swirls on your nails ensure no two nails ever look alike. What could be more merry than this?
This Christmas, let your nails be the ultimate accessory to showcase your festive spirit. From subtle garland tips to bold glittery swirls, there’s Christmas nail art for every mood, outfit, and makeup. Maybe you’re a minimalist or love everything extravagant; these 10 Christmas nail ideas will inspire your holiday manicure.
Gather your favorite nail shades, book that nail salon appointment, or whip out your nail art tools and DIY yourself! After all, it’s the most wonderful time of the year—and your nails deserve to celebrate, too! So, which nail design will you try this holiday season?
