Privacy Policy

Last updated: 22 September 2026

This policy explains what information c-h-r-i-s-t-m-a-s.com collects, why, and what you can do about it. We have tried to write it in plain English rather than legal boilerplate.

Who we are

c-h-r-i-s-t-m-a-s.com is a guide to Christmas markets, lights switch-ons and festive events. The site is operated from the United Kingdom. For any question about this policy or about your data, contact us at hello@c-h-r-i-s-t-m-a-s.com.

What we collect

When you submit an event

Our submission form asks for details of the event and, optionally, your name and email address. We use your name and email only to contact you if something about your submission is unclear. We do not add you to a mailing list and we do not pass your details to anyone else.

Submitted event details — the market name, town, dates and any notes — may be published on the site once we have checked them. Your name and email are never published.

When you simply read the site

Our web server keeps standard access logs: your IP address, the page requested, the time, your browser type and the page that referred you. These are generated automatically by the hosting software and are used for security and diagnosing faults.

Cookies

The site itself sets very few cookies. WordPress may set a cookie if you leave a comment or log in, and our consent tool stores your advertising choices so you are not asked repeatedly. We do not use analytics cookies at the time of writing; if that changes, this policy will be updated first.

Advertising

We intend to show advertising on this site through Google AdSense. When advertising is active:

• Google and its partners may use cookies or similar technologies to serve ads based on your previous visits to this and other websites.
• Google’s use of advertising cookies enables it and its partners to serve ads to you based on your visit to this site and/or other sites on the internet.
• You can opt out of personalised advertising by visiting Google Ads Settings, or opt out of third-party vendors’ use of cookies for personalised advertising at aboutads.info.
• If you are in the UK or the European Economic Area, we ask for your consent before personalised advertising cookies are set. You can change or withdraw that consent at any time using the cookie settings link on this site.

More information about how Google uses data when you use our site is available in Google’s own policy.

Content loaded from other services

Photographs on this site are used under Creative Commons licences and are hosted on our own server, so your browser does not contact any third party to display them. Each photograph is credited beside the image and on our image credits page.

Legal basis for using your information

Under UK data protection law we rely on:

• Legitimate interests — for server logs and for using the event details you send us to keep the guide accurate.
• Consent — for advertising cookies, and for contacting you about a submission where you have given us your email.

How long we keep things

Server access logs are kept for a short period by our host and then rotated. Contact details attached to a submission are kept only while we are checking that submission and for a reasonable period afterwards in case we need to follow up. Published event information is kept indefinitely, because the guide is a permanent record of what happens each year — but it contains no personal data.

Your rights

You have the right to ask us what personal data we hold about you, to have it corrected, and to have it deleted. Email hello@c-h-r-i-s-t-m-a-s.com and we will deal with it promptly and without charge.

If you are unhappy with how we have handled your data you can complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office at ico.org.uk.

Children

This site is intended for a general audience and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe a child has sent us their details, contact us and we will delete them.

Changes to this policy

If we change how we handle data — adding analytics, for example, or changing advertising partners — we will update this page and change the date at the top before the change takes effect.