Thanksgiving — a time for turkey, trips to Grandma’s house and traditions.

But those traditions vary from family to family and region to region. In New England, about 56 percent of residents say they eat squash every Thanksgiving, compared to 18 percent for the rest of the nation. As for the types of pies consumed on Thanksgiving, it is no surprise that folks in the South prefer pecan pies or sweet-potato pies. The Midwest and West population prefers cherry pie, with New England and Mid-Atlantic residents favoring apple pies. There is one pie that is favored above all other pies in all areas of the nation — pumpkin pie. What did you expect?

Some area residents talk about their traditions via Facebook messages.

Ed Drew, a minister at First Baptist Church of Smithton in northeastern Beaufort County, said this about one of this favorite Thanksgiving traditions: “Creamed onions in Buttermilk sauce!”

Vanessa Hayes’ Thanksgiving tradition is food-related, too. “Broccoli casserole. My kids wouldn’t even come if there was none! My son says he thinks we should all just take the day off just to eat broccoli casserole all day long! Lol!”

Ed Hamrick, a former executive at National Spinning, has plenty of Thanksgiving traditions. He shares them in this email: “Every Thanksgiving for the past 17 years, many of my wife’s relatives (those close to Beaufort County) come to our house in Cypress Landing for the annual feast that takes place around noon. After the 20 or so have stuffed ourselves into oblivion, the younger ones play football, while me and my son-in-law nap. After the game, and my wife has given away enough leftovers to supply the food bank, the guests depart.  Soon thereafter, I plod up to the attic and extract the same artificial Christmas tree we have had for the same 17 years. Mumbling and fumbling, I manage to get it together before we go to bed. Early Friday morning, bedlam erupts. My wife Dianne goes into a decorating frenzy inside, and expects me to do the same outside. By Friday night, we are fully decorated. Then on Saturday morning early, Dianne heads to her daughter’s house in Tranter’s Run. Here the frenzy is repeated, and the house is fully decorated by Saturday night.”
“And there you have it — from Thanksgiving afternoon to Saturday night two houses fully decorated inside and out — every year for the past 17 years!” he concludes.

Suzi Piegols’ Thanksgiving tradition: “George’s corn pudding — a must!” George is Suzi’s husband.

Linda C. Clark’s Turkey Day tradition goes well with, well, turkey. “Real Cranberry Sauce … made from cooking fresh Cranberries. My Mother Phyllis Carver would not buy canned cranberry sauce. So I remember hearing the popping cranberries boiling in the sugar syrup. Out-of-town relatives used to come eat with my parents on Thanksgiving from Washington DC, New York NY, Elizabeth City, NC and Myrtle Beach SC…We ate up all of this delicious sauce before the turkey was gone. I make it to this day,” she wrote.

Doug Sliker, a former Daily News circulation director, recalls: “As a kid I was in the Scouts in Carlisle PA and we used to always go to a Hershey Bears Hockey game the night before Thanksgiving. That would get us home late (11pm) and off to bed so we could rise early and watch the Parades on TV while Mother cooked. My Father made a scalloped Oyster dish that I try to make now. Corning Ware dish; butter the dish, layer of crushed crackers, layer of oysters, crackers, oysters, etc. Then pour over a mixture of egg and milk. Bake till browned.”