Privacy policy
Last updated 20 October 2026
This policy explains what happens to your information when you use christmasgiftideas.uk (“we”, “us”). The short version: we don’t use tracking or analytics, banner ads load only if you say yes, we don’t have user accounts, and we don’t ask for your personal details.
Cookies
We set no cookies of our own for visitors and we don’t use analytics or tracking cookies. The only cookie of ours is a session cookie for the site’s owner when they sign in to the admin area (it is limited to the admin pages and is needed to keep them signed in).
When you first visit, a bar asks whether you’re happy with ads cookies. We keep your answer in your browser’s local storage (or, if that’s blocked, in a small cookie from this site called ads_consent) for 6 months, so we don’t have to ask on every page. It holds only “accept” or “reject” and the date, and it isn’t sent to anyone.
Banner ads
Some pages have up to two banner ads: one under the menu, and one part-way through a guide, a list of ideas or below a gift idea. There are none on this page, the contact, terms, affiliate disclosure and photo credits pages. The ads come from 5od (5od.co.uk), a small ad service run by the owner of this site. They’re contextual: 5od chooses a banner to suit the page you’re reading, not you. 5od itself sets no cookies and builds no profile of you; your browser sends it the site, the ad position and size, and the address of the page.
The banners are for shops and brands in the Awin affiliate network. Awin’s banner images and links can set Awin’s own cookies: when a banner is shown, and when you click one, so that a purchase can be credited to us. That’s why nothing loads until you choose:
- Accept ads cookies: banners load, and Awin is told you agreed.
- Reject: no banners load at all, and your browser doesn’t contact 5od or Awin for ads.
- JavaScript off: no ads load and you won’t be asked.
Like any website, 5od’s server sees your IP address when your browser asks it for a banner. 5od doesn’t store raw IP addresses: it keeps a scrambled (salted and hashed) version for up to 2 days, only to limit abuse.
Changing your mind
Use Cookie settings (also at the bottom of every page) to see your current choice and change it at any time. If you switch from accept to reject, banners stop loading straight away. Any Awin cookies already set stay in your browser until they expire, or until you delete them in your browser’s settings (clearing this site’s data also resets your choice, and we’ll ask again).
Gift finder and “Surprise me”
Your choices in the gift finder are sent in the page address (for example ?for=mum&size=tree) so the results can be shown. We don’t store them or link them to you.
Links to Amazon.co.uk and other sites
Outbound links go through a short redirect on our site (addresses beginning /go/). When you click one we count the click — the date and time, which link and which of our pages it was on — but we don’t record your IP address or anything else that identifies you.
When you arrive at Amazon.co.uk (or any other site), that site’s own privacy notice and cookies apply. Amazon uses cookies to recognise that you came from our site so that qualifying purchases can be credited to us; see Amazon’s privacy notice on Amazon.co.uk for details.
Videos
If a page includes a YouTube video, nothing is loaded from YouTube until you press play. After that, YouTube’s privacy policy applies (we use YouTube’s privacy-enhanced mode).
Emailing us
If you email us, we use your email address and message only to reply, and we delete correspondence when it’s no longer needed.
Server logs
Like almost every website, our web server keeps short-term technical logs (such as IP addresses, pages requested and browser type) to keep the site secure and working. These are used for no other purpose.
Your rights
Under UK data protection law you can ask what information we hold about you, and ask us to correct or delete it. Email hello@christmasgiftideas.uk. You can also complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO).