After you've nailed down the side dishes and seating arrangements for Thanksgiving, it's time to move on to bigger and better pursuits: Thanksgiving nail ideas. Thanksgiving is a big night for catching up and breaking bread, so you'll want the hands on the knife and fork to be looking fresh and ready for the official start of the holiday season.

Whether you prefer short and simple or long and shaped, seasonal shades or intricate nail art, there's a little something for everyone at the Thanksgiving nail-design table. The warm, earthy hues associated with autumn are a great jumping-off point for many Thanksgiving manicure ideas, including intricately hand-painted illustrations, subtle ombré, and color-blocked designs. Even if you don't partake in Thanksgiving celebrations, these palettes and techniques are great for fall—a last hurrah before we shift into the shades and trends of winter.

(Editor's note: Before we get into specific trends and techniques, it’s important to note that Thanksgiving has gone through many changes and iterations in the last four centuries and, simply put, its history is far from the narrative of the "first Thanksgiving meal" often taught in schools across the US. This complex issue deserves more nuance and expertise and, frankly, a nail art gallery isn't the venue, so we urge you to explore the topic on your own. A good starting point is this 2012 Q&A from Indian Country Today with artist and historical preservationist Ramona Peters of the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe and journalist Gale Courey Toensing.)

For inspiration on autumnal designs that evoke this particular weekend in November and beyond, we speak with nail experts and our own beauty editors about the creative designs they anticipate seeing on fingertips this year.

Additional reporting by Loren Savini, Sara Miranda, Marci Robin, and Tori Crowther.

Pumpkin jelly

Maybe you're looking for a simple manicure you can do right before dinner with your folks. Perhaps you're really excited for the pumpkin pie they're serving. Either way, you'll find this jelly manicure satisfying. Anna, the manicurist behind this look, swept on three coats of Holo Taco Nail Polish in In My Peelings, a sheer orange formula. We also recommend Le Minis Macaron Nail Polish in Orange Glow for re-creating it.

Pearly gray

Fall weather can be a little overcast, so we’re trading our freshwater pearls for something a little stormier (but with the same dazzling sheen that will catch the light when reaching across the table for the gravy boat). Look for a pearlescent polish with a silvery cast, as opposed to one with a shimmery white finish. We like ILNP Holographic Nail Polish in Tombstone for a super-subtle glint or Manicurist Paris Green Natural Nail Polish in Moon for a more allover glow.

Plaid

'Tis the season for thicker, cozier layers. For your Thanksgiving gathering, consider matching your mani with your merino wool plaid scarf. You can opt for an autumnal color combination or elevate your personal style, the way nail artist San Sung Kim did for the look above.

Tortoiseshell tips

The tortoiseshell effect makes for stunning nail design year-round, but we especially love it in November for its use of autumnal polish colors. To create this version, nail artist Hannah Flanagan applied a glassy yellow base before adding the black and brown details to create tortoiseshell spots. For us mere mortals, it’s easier to pick up a set of tortoiseshell press-ons, like Glamnetic Press-On Nails in Mine By Right.

Metallic petals

It wouldn’t be fall without a leaf motif and we love this minimalist design by Lindsey Cunningham. If you’re feeling up for the challenge, do try this at home. Using a deep color, like Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Nail Polish in C-hill Out, paint tiny petals with a fine liner brush. Once dry, meticulously outline each petal with gold polish, such as Chanel Le Vernis Nail Colour in Phenix. Yes, this will take a lot of patience, but Cunningham has some key advice: Always find a good resting place to steady the hand that’s doing the painting. The final step is applying a glossy topcoat to seal the art.

French espresso

There’s nothing like a strong espresso after Thanksgiving dinner to keep the party going. For this take on a French manicure, nail artist Iram Shelton flipped the design on its head, using chocolate tones to paint a lighter tip on top of a dark base. The contrasting chocolate and caramel colors complement each other, Shelton explains, and look even more elevated when paired with gold jewelry.

Shelton used Espresso Your Inner Self and Samoan Sand from OPI for these French tips. Other than your polishes of choice, she says, “all you need is a liner brush and some patience.” She started with the base color on each nail, allowing enough time for each layer to fully dry. “Using a liner brush, add the tip along the free edge,” Shelton says. “Once that’s dried, apply a topcoat.”

Nudes of fall

Decorate your digits with each shade on the fall-nude spectrum as Dayanna Sapiens did with this gradient manicure. Says Sapiens, she wanted to stick with the classic gradient design but decided to add her own touch to the look using the half-moon shape at the bottom of each nail. "This is one of the easiest manis to re-create. The most important step to this look is having a good, thin brush to create the half-moon shape," she tells Allure. Investing in "a good cleanup brush and nail polish remover to [clear] any mistakes is a must," she adds.

Taupe French with abstract swirls

Bring in the heat this Thanksgiving with warm, chic swirls. Emily Zheng drew inspiration from French manicures and "added a twist to the classic design." According to Zheng, you can easily create this look at home with the brush of your nail polish, but how you use it is key to getting the design down.

Start with a latte-hued French manicure in Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Nail Color in Buff and Tumble, then add curvy swirls in your favorite autumnal color. (We think a slightly stiffer latte color would be nice, like Zoya Nail Polish in Gina.) "I recommend using the side of the brush so you have more control over where you are painting," Zheng explains. “Then you can use a smaller, more detailed nail art brush to clean up the edges to make them look more precise.”

Peekaboo angles

A few peekaboo, angled corners are perfect for nail art novices. “It's a simple but powerful design,” says manicurist and founder of Jinsoon, Jin Soon Choi. The sharp, black corners—try Holo Taco in One-Coat Black—can be done atop any color, but Choi likes a moody blue, like Dior Vernis in Denim, which could be a nice change from all the seasonal browns and oranges. An opaque neutral or an earthy camel hue will also make great base colors for this design. Finish with a glossy topcoat for extra polish.

Iridescent beetle wings

"There are a lot of rich, warm greens in the fall," says celebrity nail artist Holly Falcone. Falcone took inspiration from shimmery beetle wings for this autumnal, perfect-for-Thanksgiving-dinner manicure, which can be done with an olive green, like Pop-arazzi in Retro Remix, or even an orange-violet, like INLP Fairy Dust. Just make sure it has that metallic, shimmery beetle-wing finish to up the glamour. The rich color is a great statement on its own, but Falcone also likes it jazzed up with some bling: “Using nail glue, apply iridescent crystals that cast red tones.”

Sleek red clay

If nail art isn't your thing—or you're a first-time dinner guest who wants to keep things classic—a well-applied single shade of mauve is perfect to kick off the holiday season. The muted Jinsoon Fire Clay or Essie Rocky Rose are almost neutrals because of their dusty tone. "A well-done application is very important here," says Choi. “Especially the cuticle area, which needs to be well-finished.”

Reverse black French

A perfect balance of moody, modern, and a little cheeky, this style is the French manicure's cool, witchy, younger sister. "It's a spin on the classic moon manicure using a cool color combo for an understated fall-nail look," says Choi. "Mark dots on both sides where the line starts and finishes, and one more dot in the middle, a bit below the two dots, then connect them in a rounded fashion and fill in the rest with a nail art brush." Use a black, like Mooncat Emo For Life, and follow with a swipe of a mattifying topcoat across the entire nail, like Orly Matte Top Coat.

Dainty decals

Even fans of nudes and neutrals can spice things up around the holidays. "Tiny sparkles are fun and add just a touch of personality to your nails," says manicurist Hemi Park. Start with a neutral base, like Gelcare Polish in Rose BB Cream, and then select your bling. We love this blink-and-you'll-miss-it sparkly decal placed at the base of each nail, which you can try with a nail sticker. (We love the high-shine stars of the Olive and June You're a Star Nail Sticker set.)

Earth-tone abstract swirls

'Tis the season for earth tones (enjoy the moment because red-and-green holiday nails will be here before you know it). "A modern abstract painting on your nails using this trio creates a balanced, calming, contemporary look," says Choi. Start with a sage green base, like Londontown Lakur in Sedona, and create these organic shapes by drawing swirls of complementary colors, such as a dusty blue like JinSoon Nail Polish in Sea Clay. Because the swirls are imperfect, you don't need a fine-tip nail art brush; just use the regular brush that comes with your polish.

Curvy terracotta cutouts

“My inspiration [for this nail art] is the silhouette of women's dresses that include cutout curves,” nail artist Tea Chau tells Allure about this design. “I went with brown to create a bold and sexy look.” To achieve this design, Chau starts by painting "the larger color block[s] first," then outlines the big color blocks. She makes the outlines with detail brushes from the Makartt Three Piece Nail Art Set.

Bright poppy red

Think of the brightest red you can imagine and go one shade brighter. Scratch that—two shades brighter. A red manicure looks classic on short nails and, nail artist Rita Remark says, it is a great, cheeky color for Thanksgiving: "Bright red is bold and never out of fashion." Try Essie Gel Couture Longwear Nail Polish in Electric Geometric or Chanel Le Vernis in Incendiaire.

Checkered claws

Maybe you can match your mother's Thanksgiving tablecloth with this checkered set (or not). Aisté, the nail artist behind this design, was inspired by the pattern on a Staud dress. She originally created this look with a pastel color story for summer but decided to give it another go for fall. "Since color-block nail designs are still trending, I just wanted to create something that would look simple, classy, and this time have a fall vibe," she explains. A fall-inspired color collection like the Madam Glam The Harvest Bundle will take some of the guesswork out of mixing and matching colors.

Chrome tips

If we had Thanksgiving on the moon, these would be our tips of choice. (They just so happen to look great here on Earth too.) "French manicures are back in a big way," says Remark. "And this is a French manicure with a twist." She suggests trying the look with a dark or metallic tip, such as the silver Mooncat in Outlaw Country or Le Mini Macaron in Silver Glow for a super-slick look. Either makes for a stylish Thanksgiving manicure, but we love the way this shiny chrome brings the '90s classic into the future.

Vampy vixen red