Just buy a few extra things when you go to the Wally World or the Woods and donate them when you leave. Or if you don't want to do that, just plop down a few bucks in cash.
Mom and I would bundle up in our long underwear and head over to Papa Jake's. Mom would get me some donut holes and a hot chocolate and we'd share them while watching the parade (our usual spot was right around the Hotel Bothwell).
The amount of smarts, business acumen, hard won experience, and sheer talent in that room every year.... it's a great place to learn a little something.