8 French Manicure Ideas For The Holiday Season

As the end of the year approaches, many of us are looking to do something a little different with our nails to reflect the season. From adding glitters and accessories to festive colored polishes, the holiday season is the time to go for a little something extra and change things up. But that can take a whole lot of planning and research. So much so that Fresha told Professional Beauty that searches for Christmas nails spiked a whopping 367% in November 2023 in the UK.

But for those of us who tend to gravitate toward the French manicure when we hit the nail salon, finding some inspiration that combines something festive with the popular white-tip classic can be tough. And that's where we come in. No matter what you're celebrating as the year draws to a close, we have chic designs for you that won't have you straying too far from your reliable French staple.

Want a little Christmas with your French manicure (and we mean a little)? Then this look brings just a hint of festivity to your manicure without disturbing the classic French look that's a default for so many of us. On four nails, the French look stays intact, while one accent nail features Christmas designs such as a Christmas pudding, holly, and a candy cane.

Get ready for Santa Claus' arrival by putting his iconic hats on your nails. This fun holiday look uses red tips instead of the traditional white to put a super festive twist on the classic French tips. Layering the red over the white to resembles a furry trim around the hat, while the red is pulled down slightly to create the end of Santa's hat with a pompom addition.

Back to Christmas (because there are just so many designs out there!) this look brings the glitter for the most wonderful time of the year. Replace the traditional white tips with glitter in Christmas colors, like red, green, and gold, to bring some extra sparkle without straying too far from the French format.

Of course, there's more than just Christmas going on in December, so if it's Hanukkah you celebrate, we have an idea for you! This twist on the classic French manicure blends the tips with the main part of the nail for a gradient effect, so you're still getting a similar look but in a fun and slightly different way. The addition of Hanukkah-inspired nail art over top brings the whole look home.

Another nail look proudly celebrating Hanukkah, this stylish yet respectful manicure combines blue and gold for a stunning nail look. The design mixes it up on both hands, with the left nails featuring the symbols of the dreidel over gold tips, while the right represents flames from the Hanukkah menorah over blue tips.

French tips don't have to just be a few millimeters wide, as this look proves. This Hanukkah design makes use of a thicker sparkly blue on the tips with a strip of silver glitter to separate it from the lighter blue glitter over a white background. Seeing as blue and white are the traditional colors of Hanukkah, this is a unique way to bring a little glam to the season without totally sacrificing your Frenchies.

If you'll be celebrating Kwanzaa as the year draws to a close, then this may be the look for you. This manicure combines the colors of the holiday, black, red, and green (which represent the people, their struggles, and hopes for the future) by creating a collection of French manicure tips stacked up on one another. We particularly love the glitter additions in the shades that bring a little sparkle to the season.

Don't feel like just because you don't have any particular holiday to celebrate that you can't join in on the fun. This subtle neutral glitter twist on the French manicure is super simple and doesn't have ties to any holidays, it's just a chic and simplistic way to bring some sparkle to the season as we wave goodbye to the year.