The holiday season is the perfect time to give your Apple Watch a festive makeover. From built-in customization options to third-party apps and hand-crafted designs, here's everything you need to know to get the perfect holiday watch face.
Built-In Options
Apple's built-in watch faces are a great starting point for a festive look:
Photos or Portrait Watch Face: Use your own holiday pictures — Christmas trees, Santa, snowmen, or family moments — as your watch face background. Personal, warm, and easy to set up.
Solar Analog: For a more subtle holiday look, customize the Solar Analog face with a blackout theme and shadow effect for a sleek, wintry aesthetic.
Third-Party Apps & Websites
For unique and detailed designs, these external sources are worth exploring:
Etsy: A treasure trove of digital watch faces featuring Santa, reindeer, snowmen, Christmas trees, and more — many with a hand-drawn or illustrated style.
Watch Faces Gallery Apps: Apps like Watch Faces Gallery for iWatch or Watch Faces Gallery & Widgets offer curated seasonal collections that are easy to install with just a tap.
Clockology: Discover festive options ranging from classic Christmas imagery to modern minimalist designs — including animated faces with twinkling lights or falling snowflakes.
How to Install & Customize
Built-in & third-party apps: Most third-party apps offer a simple one-tap installation process directly to your Apple Watch.
Third-party digital files (e.g. from Etsy): Download the file, then use the Photos watch face to set it as your background — quick and easy.
Create your own: Find a festive image online, take a screenshot, edit it to your liking, and set it as your watch face through the Photos watch face settings on your Apple Watch.
However you choose to celebrate the season on your wrist, pair your custom watch face with a band that's just as festive — and just as comfortable.
