50 Fun and Festive Holiday Nail Ideas

meet the expert

Lia Smith is a manicurist and OPI North America brand education manager.
Mabelyn Alva is a manicurist and the creative director at Paintbox.

To inspire your look, take a peek at the following 50 holiday nail ideas.

01 of 50

Cold Spell

“Cold Spell is the perfect holiday nail look with a neutral base and silver French tip, complementing every holiday outfit and just the right amount of sparkle,” says Paintbox creative director Mabelyn Alva. “We love how understated yet eye-catching this nail design is for the holiday season.”

02 of 50

Ornaments

Dive deep into holiday jewel tones with this manicure that features ornament stickers from Deco Miami ($10).

03 of 50

Molten Lava

Manicurist Julie Kandalec created this molten lava nail look for Zoe Saldana's winter 2022 cover of InStyle using polishes from OPI.

04 of 50

Marble Stream

A rich blue is the star of this Hanukkah nail look. Some nails get a solid coat of blue while others feature a marbled stream of white, blue, and silver running down the middle.

05 of 50

Peek-a-Boo Candy

Featuring gel-X tips, this design takes advantage of the underside of the nails, with little surprise peppermints.

06 of 50

Clear Base

With a super clean base, these Deco Miami Nail Stickers ($10) really shine. They feature cardinals, gingerbread people, candy canes, and more.

07 of 50

Glitter, Of Course

Glitterrrrr Holiday Nails — @julieknailsnyc

Go nuts with glitter and do a two-toned gradient. This look was done with Obvi ($9) and Exclamation Point ($9) from Olive & June.

08 of 50

Holiday Blues

This blue look features a dusty blue in a few different ways—solid, topped with glitter, and glittery nail tip.

09 of 50

NYE Color Blocking

This New Year's Eve half-moon look was pained with Gold Rush ($9), Silver ($9), Snow White ($9), and Black Sugar ($9) gel polishes from Mia Secret.

10 of 50

Stamped Glitter

"This is a Hanukkah look in cool blues like Super Trop-i-cal-i-fiji-istic ($12) and No Room for the Blues ($12) using a stamping plate design with glitter,” says Smith

11 of 50

Malaga Wine

“Malaga Wine ($12), Baby Take A Vow ($12), and gold flakes were used for a wintery look that is warm and toasty,” says Smith.

12 of 50

Red Cross

Red tips get a festive update with a jeweled cross and small crystals. Because the design is on a long nail, you really get to appreciate the color of the nail and the intricacy of the cross.

13 of 50

Metal Accents

This deep navy design features silver and gold accents that mimic the shape of the nail. It's sleek and gorgeous.

14 of 50

Simple and Classic

“Simple and classic, Put It In Neutral ($12) with hints of I Mica Be Dreaming ($12) works throughout the holiday season,” says Smith.

15 of 50

Diamond Crush

This stunning shade of navy screams winter. A silver gradient glitter gives it a festive upgrade.

16 of 50

Serendipity

A few coats of Serendipity ($11) Orly is all you need for this iridescent, holiday-ready nail look. It provides streak-free coverage while remaining a bit translucent.

17 of 50

Grinch Green

Embody the Grinch with these angular green tip nails. The tip design is a triangle instead of round and the nail shape is square, creating a ton of sharp lines.

18 of 50

Gold Foil Foliage

Super pretty sprigs of evergreen and red berries are accented with gold foil to give this nail look a regal finish.

19 of 50

Water Colors

This navy nail design features a watercolor effect on a few nails. Paired with gold leaf, it looks like a blue agate crystal.

20 of 50

Pink Christmas

If you love a pink nail no matter the season, do a Christmas look atop an opaque baby-pink base. This one features holly berries and white shimmer.

21 of 50

Holly Robins

Featuring a white base, this nail design details holly berries and robins with black outlines for a hand-sketched effect.

22 of 50

Bow Tie Reindeer

This cute design features a very formal reindeer sporting a polka dot bowtie along with holly berries and sprigs of green.

23 of 50

Jewel Tones

Cranberry, lilac, and deep purple swirls serve as the base of this matte look. It features gold chrome Christmas trees and stars.

24 of 50

Blue Galaxy

Go for a galactic look with this design. It has a shimmery shade of blue that trickles down a nude sheer base. Then, it features white moons and stars to seal in the intergalactic vibes.

25 of 50

Wrapping Paper

This design, featuring ornaments, Christmas trees, Santa, and more, looks like a scene straight off a roll of wrapping paper.

26 of 50

Navy Chrome

Chrome accents pop against this super deep shade of navy. It's so dark it nearly looks black.

27 of 50

Glitter Snow

Glitter acts as snow in this winter wonderland design. The glitter collects at the tip of this design and is the base of little floating designs of snowmen, reindeer, and more.

28 of 50

Classics

This nail look also embodies wrapping paper vibes, with a black and white grid design and a navy base with snowy trees.

29 of 50

Santa’s Reindeer

Red and white anchor this Christmas design that features Santa hats, reindeer, stars, and Christmas trees. Plus, it has lots of shimmer.

30 of 50

Santa and Rudolph

Santa Holiday Nails — @onenailtorulethemall

This silly little design showcases Santa and Rudolph along with snow on a red background.

31 of 50

Mix 'n Match

Red and white candy stripes, gold glitter, deep green, and multi-colored lights make up this festive design.

32 of 50

Mixed Finishes

Glossy and matte top coats take this plain blue design up a notch. It's extremely simple yet impactful.

33 of 50

Present Time

Each nail in this design gets transformed into a glittery present in shades of purple, blue, green gold, and pink.

34 of 50

Glitz Blitz

Bask in glitter with this silver-and-black nail tip design. It's on a milky white base to make the look super wintery.

35 of 50

Nutcracker

This nutcracker nail design is seriously impressive. Each nail features a different part of the nutcracker so each detail is large enough to really be seen and appreciated.

36 of 50

All Glitter Everything

Glitter Everything Holiday Nails — @onenailtorulethemall

Purple and red glitter polishes were used to create this design. It features stars, stripes, and Christmas trees on a white base.

37 of 50

Candy Cane Micro French

Candy Cane French Holiday Nails — @onenailtorulethemall

This micro-tip clear nail design features a really dainty candy cane stripe and holly berries. It's incredibly simple but super fun.

38 of 50

Black French

This Black French tip design is accented with a thin silver outline that makes it perfect for New Year's Eve. It's sleek yet celebratory.

39 of 50

Polka Dot Rudolph

This sweet design features a beige base with white and gold polka dots. Rudolph makes a surprise appearance on one nail.

40 of 50

Seeing Stars

Dark as the night sky, this deep navy blue is the perfect complement to a single-starry design. It has a nude, sheer base with a shimmery blue gradient and white stars.

41 of 50

Dainty Dots

Polkadots are a great option when you want a little interest with minimal effort. This design features blue and white mini dots on a nude, sheer base flanked by blue solid nails.

42 of 50

Christmas Characters

With a glittery green base, this adorable design showcases little Christmas designs on each nail, like Santa, candy canes, and more.

43 of 50

Plaid & Sparkle

Red, black, white, and sparkles are the elements that make up this design. It features plaid, bows, snowflakes, and crystals.

44 of 50

NYE

Nothing says glamour like gold, so use it to breathe some life into a simple black-and-white design to ring in the new year.

45 of 50

Blue French

Perfect for a simple Hanukkah mani, this look features a milky nude base and a thin blue French tip.

46 of 50

Gold Drip

With colors like gold and white, you can go for an intricate look that isn't super loud, like this abstract design.

47 of 50

Blue & Silver

Elevate a simple blue manicure with chunky glitter to get your nails holiday-ready. The shade of blue used for this look is super vibrant, keeping the vibe super festive.

48 of 50

Rose Gold

Although we typically lean into silver and gold for holiday metallics, rose gold can give a similar celebratory effect. This design features a rose gold chrome alongside a soft pale pink.

49 of 50

Stripes

Stripes are a super easy way to achieve a fun and festive holiday manicure. This look features deep blue, light blue, and gold glitter.

50 of 50

Christmas Trees

Teeny tiny Christmas trees are the focus of this nail look. To keep things uncomplicated, the trees are only on one nail per hand and the other nails have a glittery coat of deep green.

We Care About Your Privacy

We and our partners process data to provide:

50 Holiday Nail Ideas to Keep the Season's Spirit Right at Your Fingertips