7 holiday manicures you’ll want to try before Christmas

The best way to count down to the holidays? With fingers that have decked-out, holiday-themed nails of course.

From sparkly manicures that will look perfect clutching that glass of champagne at a cocktail party to fun designs that are sure to garner compliments, you can totally nail one of these looks with an at-home mani.

To help, here’s 7 holiday nail art ideas to inspire you this December.

1. Red, green and gold nails

It almost looks as though a beautifully wrapped package was the muse for these holiday nails.

You’ll need four colors to master this mani: red, green, white and gold.

You’ll start with a diagonal swipe of your red polish across each nail, and then use a dotting tool to add the other colors. If you love nail art, you’ll want to get your hands on this 5-piece dotting tool for under $4!

2. All that glitters is gold

For a manicure that you can rock around the Christmas tree and then well into the New Year, check out blogger Missy Sue’s holiday nail tutorial. She starts with a white or light pink base, which then get gussied up with gold dots.

We love the wild card: She turns her ring fingers into accent nails with a dense coat of gold sparkly polish.

3. Christmas tree nails

You’ve got the tree up in the living room. Now it’s time to put some mini ones up on your nails to match.

The blog Blue Tape Nail Tips shows how you can do just that by using strips of tape to make the perfectly symmetrical evergreens. The tutorial calls for a neutral nail polish, like a gray, to use as the base.

4. Dreaming of a Pink Christmas

This tutorial shows how you can put an unexpected pastel spin on the holidays with pink polish. We love how the design details alternate on the nails, with dots, Christmas trees and metallic polish.

5. Glitter nails

Picture this: Popping a bottle of champagne on New Year’s Eve with this fun, confetti manicure on a slate gray base. The tutorial is courtesy of The Nailasaurus blog, and you can find some confetti polish at Amazon.

6. Holiday dotted and striped nails

Admittedly, this video caught our attention because it was advertised as one for beginners. Still, the trio of holiday manicures showcased look wonderful!

For two of the manicures, you’ll need a dotting tool to make different sized dots in holiday colors. The other manicure is a simple, but elegant manicure: Red painted fingernails with a white tip and gold stripe.

7. Candy cane nails

These nails should be synced up with a mug of hot cocoa and marshmallows! You’ll start with two coats of base coat so that the red nail polish doesn’t stain your nails.

To get the white stripes, you’ll use strips of tape in varying widths and paint white nail polish over your red manicure.

Note: When you’re done with your candy cane nails, you’ll have to try this candy cane eyeliner to match!