59 Stunning Christmas Nail Ideas You Will Want to Try Right Away

With the festive season approaching faster than we like, it’s never too early to get ready! If you’re looking for some festive Christmas nail ideas you can try at home, or recreate in a nail salon, this article has over 50 of the most gorgeous designs out there!

Scroll down to our photo selection of the best Christmas nail designs, which can be used both for acrylic nails or gel nails, and check out some simple video tutorials we linked below.

As always, you can save your selection of favorite nail designs directly on a Pinterest board and check our own account for more nail design inspiration, not just for Christmas!

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Tips for Choosing from Christmas Nail Ideas

There are so many cute Christmas nail ideas out there – it can be overwhelming to decide what you’re going to go for! Will you choose some trending design from social media, or go for something more neutral or traditional?

The first thing you should consider is whether you want to do the nails as DIY at home, or something you want to recreate at a nail salon. After that, focus on colors and themes you would like to use – keep in mind that Christmas is usually a few week’s worth of built up and it’s gone after one day.

If you want your nails to last longer, it’s a good idea to go for a more neutral design with winter elements like snowflakes, which you can still wear a few weeks after Christmas.

The last thing is the nails themselves – some designs work better on acrylic nails, gel nails or natural nails. Check with your nail salon if you’re not sure what to use.

Christmas Nails: Do Them at Home

Some simple Christmas nail ideas are very easy to recreate at home – especially if symmetry is not required. Choose from our selection of red Christmas nails or mismatched Christmas nails – these are almost always easy to do and recreate at home.

If you’re not confident in your skills, festive red or golden tones in a single color always look super festive, without having to get really creative with the designs.

If you want to set it up a notch, you can choose ombre shades of the same color tone and paint each nail in a different shade.

Video Tutorial: Candy Cane Nails

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Video Tutorial: Christmas Nails Compilation

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Christmas Nail Ideas: Take to Salon or Do at Home

If you would like to explore some more intricate concepts and designs, it’s best to save your favorites and take them with you to the nail salon. That way the nail artist can recreate exactly what you want, or suggest similar alternatives that will work for your nails.

Some of the more complicated and intricate Christmas nail art ideas can be difficult to recreate at home without proper equipment and practice, so starting with those in a nail salon is a great option.

If you would like to see more work from the nail artist featured, click on the link below the image to visit their Instagram page or website.

Christmas Nails Ideas: Snowflakes Theme

Adding snowflakes to your festive nails is one of the hottest trends this year. Not only there are so many variations of this nail design, but it’s super easy to do at home, with minimum experience.

For a simple and minimalist look, you can paint white snowflakes on nude nails, or go bold and big by adding colors and a unique look for each nail.

Below are some of the best examples of snowflake nail designs.

1. Pink and Gold Snowflakes

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2. Silver and White Snowflakes

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3. Gold and Rose Tones

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4. Mismatched Snowflakes

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5. White Snowflakes on Grey Nails

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6. Simple Grey Snowflakes

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7. Festive Red and Gold Snowflakes

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Nail artist : bvivinails_

8. Ombre Grey Nails

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9. Grey with Golden Tones

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source: nails.by.zo_

10. Statement Purple with Snowflakes

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source: instagram @_mejzi

11. Pretty in Pink

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source: instagram @_mejzi

12. Dark Green with Gold Touch

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source: instagram @_mejzi

13. Pink with Black Snowflakes

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source: instagram @_mejzi

Christmas Nail Ideas: Golden Touch Nails

Gold is one of the three colors, together with red and green, that is heavily featured in all Christmas decor, so we can’t miss out on it when it comes to your nails too!

A bonus point – a neutral golden nail design will carry you through all the way to New Year celebrations as this color is a favorite for this season too.

Whether you’re going all in for a lot of sparkle, or just a touch at the nail tips, this color and design looks elegant and effortless.

14. Golden Snowflakes

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15. Mismatched Gold with Neutral

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16. Gold Leaf

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17. Gold Sparkle

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18. Metalic tones

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19. Full on Glitter

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Nail artist : michelleswatches

20. Metalic Tips

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21. Snow White

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source: barbrafeszyn

Christmas Nail Ideas: Simple Green

Another favorite of the season, green is a wonderful color to play with when it comes to nail design. You don’t have to stick to the natural elements like foliage, flowers or trees. The color can be used for any elements of Christmas decor, or just as an addition to your multi colored nails for Christmas.

22. Green Foliage

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23. Christmas Green

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source: tessa.lyn.nails

24. Green Highlights

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25. Mismatched Green Elements

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26. Green with Snowflakes

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27. Shiny Green

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28. Green and Gold Tips

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29. Elegant Green

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30. Candy Canes

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31. Green with Golden Touch

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source: tessa.lyn.nails

32. Elegant Green Tips

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33. Green with Pink

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34. Green Stripes

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35. Minimalist Green & Gold

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36. Festive Green Motive

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37. Festive Pattern

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38. Emerald Green

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39. Mismatched Green Tones

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40. Green Foliage with Pinecones

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source: tessa.lyn.nails

Christmas Nail Ideas: Festive Red

A favorite of the season, red Christmas nails are one of the most loved looks for the holidays. If you want to experiment with red nails for Christmas, most of the looks do not require special skills or equipment and red nails always look very festive even if you just paint them in a single color tone.

Below are some of the more creative options for red Christmas nails.

41. Rudolf

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42. Santa’s Hat

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43. Candy Canes

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44. Christmas Tree

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45. Red Tips

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46. Green and White

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47. Red and Gold

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48. Dark Green with Snowflakes

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source: nailsby_jukus

49. Pink and Red with Snowflakes

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50. Classic Red and White

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source: adriannawysocka

51. Ruby Red

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source: _mejzi

52. Minimalist Red

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Christmas Nail Ideas: Mismatched

Why choose one when you can have them all?

Mismatched Christmas nails allow you to explore a variety of design styles in matching colors, and add a lot of personality to your nails. If you can’t pick just one design you like, choose a few and ensure they have a common theme – could be a color or a specific design element.

Below are some of the best examples of how to pull off mismatched nails for Christmas.

53. Pastel Tones

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source: monika_nails

54. Pink and White

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55. Christmas Motives

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source: borcsanails

56. Brown Tones

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57. Christmas Gift

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58. Christmas Stars

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59. Pink with Sparkles

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More Christmas Inspiration

25+ Gorgeous Green Christmas Nails You Will Love this Festive Season

33+ Gorgeous Christmas Kitchen Decor Ideas to Add Festive Cheer

How to Decorate Your Bathroom for Christmas: 10+ Festive Ideas

Elegant Christmas Fireplace Decorations: 25 Beautiful Ideas to Try

Festive Crafts at Home: 13+ Christmas Decor Do it Yourself Ideas

FREE Christmas Gift Tag Printables: 26 Cute Designs to Print at Home

Merry & Bright: 33+ Festive Mid-Century Christmas Decorations Ideas

35+ Free Christmas Coloring Pages for Kids

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Lindsey Harris
Author
Lindsey is a professional nail artist based in Utah, US. Her specialties are party and occasion nails, she loves to work with glitter and gemstones in her nail studio. She loves sharing her knowledge of the nail industry and curating the latest nail design trends. She is contributing to a number of other industry related magazines.