Festive Christmas Nail Art Ideas You Can Do Yourself (2024)

Certain traditions get us in the holiday spirit: putting on some jolly tunes, decorating the tree in cozy pajamas and fuzzy socks, and giving ourselves a Christmas manicure. 'Tis the season for all the shimmer, shine, and holiday hues—red, hunter green, winter white, gold, icy blue—and there are plenty of holiday nail polish colors on the market and no shortage of festive symbols and motifs to inspire.

To help guide you, we put together a list of ideas for Christmas nail art designs, including an elevated French tip, Santa-inspired art, snowflake accents, and more. The best part is, thanks to nail stickers, press-on, and stencils, even those of us with the unsteadiest hands can create these styles easily. Keep scrolling for major inspo.

If sparkles aren't your thing, silver metallic adds an edgy twist to your holiday manicure. The Nails.INC Gold Mani Marker Nail Pen makes creating the golden French tips easy.

This colorful asymmetrical French mani reminds us of those rainbow candy canes that add a beautiful touch of color to your Christmas tree. If you aren't willing to DIY, the Lottie London Stay Press'd Nails in neon vibes is the perfect dupe.

Draw inspiration from a Christmas favorite—candy canes! This red-and-white abstract manicure is a subtle nod to the holidays. The hue Not Red-y for Bed from Essie is a classic cherry hue to recreate this look.

This iridescent sparkling manicure is as magical as this time of year. You can recreate this manicure at home using Aprés Nail at-home gel X kits and the Heavenly Top Gel Coats, which come in five iridescent shades.

Make your minimalist manicure more festive with a subtle golden accent.

Tom Bachik makes achieving a festive manicure chic. We love this thin double French tip in red, which adds a trendy twist to a classic style.

Spice up a neutral manicure with on-theme nail stickers, like these.

One of the biggest nail trends are half-moon manicures. To make it more seasonally festive, add sparkles on the lower part of your nail. The Orly Festive Glitz and Glam Gift Set has a silver shade that can easily recreate this look and it's a great present for the one you love.

You've probably seen glazed donut nails all over your social feeds and for good reason. It's perfect for Christmas time because of the soft wintery-white iridescence. Try the Facile press-on nails in Vanilla Glazed for this look.

If the Grinch is your favorite Christmas character, you might consider this neon-meets-sparkly French tip manicure.

Here's proof that multicolored Christmas lights can brighten up a creamy neutral polish.

If you don't love an overt Christmas manicure, then these dripping emerald tips with a golden accent are subtle, elegant, and unexpected.

If you're looking to take a red manicure to the next level this Christmas, try out this fun "ho, ho, ho" design by Utah-based nail technician Liz Henson.

For those who prefer to save the bright reds for summer, try a muted version, like Essie Expressie Wine Red.

Jelly nails are popular for their see-through finish and glossy shine. For a holiday take, opt for a green shade that pays tribute to the winter foliage.

Minimalist doesn't have to equal boring. The ombré on this manicure is so soft and subtle, but still festive and bright.

A classic and clean black-and-white nail art design, like this tree motif by Henson, is a pretty manicure for the holidays.