On a crisp December day in Champaign-Urbana, a different kind of holiday gift market opened its doors — where nothing was for sale, and everything was free.
The Really Really Free Christmas Market kicked off at Resistance Threads this Wednesday at 11 a.m., offering a wide selection of donated clothes, art, accessories, candles and more with no cost attached to entry or items.
These markets are rooted in anti-consumerist beliefs, while also challenging the dominant holiday narrative of buying more and spending more. By offering an alternative to big-box shopping, Really Really Free Christmas Markets invite people to rethink what gift-giving can look like.
The goal isn’t to make money or break even, but to redistribute useful items within the community and reduce waste during a season defined by excess. Instead of buying or trading, people simply take what they need or what brings them joy, trusting that others will do the same.
Katia Janes, employee at Resistance Threads, first discovered Really Really Free Christmas Markets through videos online.
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Inspired by the idea, she decided to bring the concept to C-U and organized the entire event in just one month.
“I feel like a lot of people don’t realize how much stuff we have and how we could survive without big corporations,” Janes said. “I wanted to create a way to let people know that you can rely on your community and … create a less money focused sense of Christmas.”
Although this was the first year Resistance Threads attempted an event of this scale, Janes said the response was overwhelmingly positive.
Community members showed up with donations that were clean, thoughtful and clearly meant to be gifted.
For Resistance Threads employee Sunny Skottene, the motivation to help run the event came directly from the community itself.
“A lot of these (items) would have been just thrown out, or they would have been taken to Goodwill, and (community members) would have been charged,” Skottene said. “I’m just like, ‘These items are all coming from the community, why not put it back into the community?’”
Events like this are part of a growing trend in C-U’s holiday season — community-centered giving. The Really Really Free Christmas Market is listed among other seasonal thrift and holiday shopping options in this year’s Holiday Markets in C-U guide.
Jocelyn Sung, junior in Business and attendee at the market, said she came out to support the shop’s commitment to sustainability.
“(Resistance Threads) has a very good mission, and I support everything it goes for,” Sung said. “These are all really community-based events; without community, this wouldn’t be a thing, and I think the C-U community is really strong.”
As the market drew to a close, the sense of accomplishment extended beyond simply redistributing goods. For organizers like Janes and Skottene, the true success lay in demonstrating a joyous alternative to the hyper-commercialized holiday season.
Moving forward, Resistance Threads hopes to make the Really Really Free Christmas Market an annual event, reinforcing their mission to encourage sustainable shopping in C-U.
