When I think Thanksgiving, I think Dunkin’.

Since the doughnut brand took over Philadelphia’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in 2011, my house has been filled with the ubiquitous orange and pink hats. They’re given out at the parade every year, and my family gobbles them up. We’ve been going for about one-fifth of the parade’s 100 years – the oldest of its kind in the country. (Take that, New York!)

In recent years, waking up in time has been challenging because the night before Turkey Day is universally regarded as the biggest drinking night of the year. But I still summon the strength to plop in the van, head down to the Benjamin Franklin Parkway and maintain my family’s only tradition (aside from roasting our relatives when they leave that night). We’re enamored with the high school marching bands, the balloons, the floats, the 6abc newscasters and, of course, the grand finale of Santa and Mrs. Claus. But the main reason we leave the turkey in the oven and risk burning the house down is all the promotional products.

For the 100th edition of the parade, there was a smorgasbord of branded goodies: turkey hats, glasses shaped like a 100, T-shirts, Santa hats, ping pong balls, pens, keychains, hand sanitizer. Parx Casino invited you to spin a wheel to win a deck of cards, branded water bottle, pair of gloves or knit hat. If you waited in a long line, you could stuff all your treasures in a nifty branded orange tote bag.

This year’s special attraction was Thy Kingdom Crumb, a local food truck that delivers free meals. Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz and his brother Zach launched the missionary effort in partnership with their pastor at Connect Church. Although Wentz was busy not preparing enough for the Miami Dolphins, volunteers were still on hand serving free slices of apple and pumpkin pie. The truck also gave out cups and wristbands with the logo of Wentz’s AO1 Foundation, a charitable organization promoting service and Christian values. In a true test of faith, my brother showed up in a Dallas Cowboys jersey and was reluctantly served a slice.

Finding and gathering all the branded swag is fun – it’s like Black Friday shopping for free. When the rest of the family comes over to eat, we share stories and laughs about the people we saw, the interactions we had and the cool stuff we nabbed. Promos at the parade have become as synonymous with our Thanksgiving as football and green bean casserole.

Looking back at all the photos over the years, we’re always decked out in those Dunkin’ hats. Sure, they’re overflowing the basement, but they bring back fond memories.