Privacy Policy

Last updated: November 2025

1. Introduction

Welcome to Holiday Crossroads! We are committed to protecting your privacy and the privacy of children who use our service. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, and protect information when you visit our website.

2. COPPA Compliance

Holiday Crossroads is designed for children and complies with the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA).

  • We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13 without parental consent
  • We limit data collection to what is necessary for the service to function
  • We use child-safe advertising practices
  • We do not share children's information with third parties except as necessary for the service

3. Information We Collect

Holiday Crossroads does not require accounts or registration. You can use our service completely anonymously.

3.1 Information You Provide

  • Voluntary Information: Any information you choose to provide when contacting us via email (if you contact us)
  • No Account Required: We do not collect email addresses, usernames, or passwords

3.2 Automatically Collected Information

  • Technical Data: Browser type, device type, IP address (collected by hosting service for security and technical purposes)
  • Server Logs: Standard web server logs including IP addresses, request URLs, and timestamps (for security and troubleshooting)
  • Cookies: We use minimal cookies for advertising (AdSense, when enabled)
  • Note: Theme preferences are stored in browser localStorage, not cookies

3.3 Browser Storage (Local Only)

Holiday Crossroads uses your browser's local storage to save your story progress locally on your device:

  • Story Progress: Which stories you've read and your last page position (stored in browser only)
  • Theme Preferences: Your light/dark mode preference
  • No Server Storage: This information never leaves your device and is not sent to our servers
  • No Account Needed: Progress is saved automatically in your browser's local storage

Important: If you clear your browser data or use a different device, your progress will not be available. This is because all progress is stored locally on your device, not on our servers.

4. How We Use Information

  • To provide and improve our story service
  • To ensure site security and prevent abuse
  • To troubleshoot technical issues (using server logs)
  • To comply with legal obligations

Note: Since no accounts are required, we do not store personal information on our servers. Story progress is stored locally in your browser only. We do not currently use analytics services to track user behavior.

5. Advertising and Third-Party Services

5.1 Google AdSense

We use Google AdSense to display advertisements. AdSense uses cookies and may collect information about your visits to this and other websites to provide relevant ads.

  • AdSense is configured for child-directed treatment (COPPA-compliant)
  • Ads are age-appropriate and family-friendly
  • You can opt out of personalized advertising through Google's Ad Settings

5.2 Third-Party Services

  • CDN Services: We use content delivery networks (jsDelivr, Cloudflare) to serve CSS and JavaScript libraries. These services may collect technical data (IP addresses, browser type) for content delivery purposes.
  • Hosting Services: Our site is hosted on Railway, which processes technical data (IP addresses, request logs) for hosting and security purposes.

Note: We do not currently use Google Analytics or other analytics services. If we add analytics in the future, we will update this Privacy Policy.

6. Cookies and Browser Storage

6.1 Cookies

We use minimal cookies for:

  • Advertising (through AdSense, when enabled)

Note: Theme preferences are stored in browser localStorage, not cookies (see Section 6.2).

You can disable cookies in your browser settings, but this may affect site functionality.

6.2 Local Browser Storage

We use your browser's local storage (localStorage) to save:

  • Story progress (which page you were on, which stories you've read)
  • Theme preferences

This data is stored only on your device and is never sent to our servers. You can clear this data at any time through your browser settings.

7. Data Security

We implement reasonable security measures to protect your information:

  • Encrypted connections (HTTPS)
  • Regular security updates
  • Limited data collection (no accounts means minimal personal data)
  • Local browser storage (your progress stays on your device)

8. Your Rights

Since Holiday Crossroads does not require accounts, we collect minimal information. You have the right to:

  • Opt out of certain data collection (via browser settings)
  • Request information about data we hold (if any)
  • Contact us with privacy concerns

To exercise these rights, please contact us using the information in the Contact section.

9. Children's Privacy

Special Protections for Children:

  • We do not collect personal information from children under 13 without verifiable parental consent
  • Parents can review, delete, or refuse further collection of their child's information
  • We use child-safe advertising practices
  • We limit data collection to what is necessary for the service

If you are a parent and believe your child has provided us with personal information, please contact us immediately.

10. Data Retention

Since Holiday Crossroads does not require accounts, we retain minimal information on our servers:

  • Server logs: Standard web server logs retained for security and troubleshooting (typically 30-90 days, depending on hosting provider)
  • Contact information: Only if you contact us via email, retained as needed to respond
  • No account data: We do not store account information since accounts are not required
  • No story progress on servers: Your story progress is stored only in your browser's local storage
  • No analytics data: We do not currently collect or retain analytics data

Browser Storage: Story progress stored in your browser remains until you clear your browser data or use a different device.

11. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of any changes by posting the new Privacy Policy on this page and updating the "Last updated" date.

12. Contact Us

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact us:

13. Consent

By using Holiday Crossroads, you consent to this Privacy Policy. If you do not agree, please do not use our service.

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