Cookie Policy
Last updated: October 28, 2026
This Cookie Policy explains what cookies are, which ones Open Lantern Path uses and how you can control them. It should be read together with our Privacy Policy.
What are cookies?
Cookies are small text files stored on your device when you visit a website. Similar technologies, such as local storage, work in a similar way. They help a site remember your choices and understand how it is used.
Cookies we use
| Type | Purpose | Needs consent? |
|---|---|---|
| Essential | Make the site work and remember your cookie choice (for example olp_cookie_choice, stored in local storage). | No |
| Analytics | Count visits and see which pages are popular so we can improve the guide. Data is aggregated. | Yes |
| Third-party content | Web fonts are loaded from Google Fonts, which may receive your IP address to deliver the font files. | No (needed to display the site) |
We do not use cookies for targeted advertising on this site.
Your choices
When you first visit, a banner lets you choose "Accept all" or "Essential only". Analytics cookies are only set if you accept them. To change your choice, click the button below — the banner will appear again on the home page.
You can also block or delete cookies in your browser settings. Blocking essential cookies may stop parts of the site from working.
What is stored, item by item
| Name | Where | What it holds | How long |
|---|---|---|---|
olp_cookie_choice | Your browser's local storage | Whether you chose "Accept all" or "Essential only" on the banner — nothing else. | Until you clear it, press "Change cookie settings" above or clear your browser data |
That single entry is the only thing the guide itself saves on your device. It never leaves your browser, we cannot read it from our side, and it is not linked to your name or email address.
About the analytics row
At the moment the guide does not load any analytics script, so accepting "all" does not start any tracking today. The Analytics row in the table describes the only kind of measurement we would consider: simple, aggregated visit counts that tell us whether people read the calendar or the room-by-room ideas more. If we add such a tool, we will name the provider on this page, explain what it stores and update the date at the top before it goes live — and it will only run for visitors who have accepted it.
Fonts and other outside services
The headings and body text of the guide use the Archivo Black and Inter typefaces, delivered by Google Fonts. To send you the font files, Google's servers receive your IP address and basic browser information, the same way any website you load receives them. Google states that the Fonts service does not set cookies. Photos on the guide are stored on our own server, so viewing them does not contact a photo library.
The checklist and contact forms
Signing up for the New Year checklist or writing to us through the contact form does not set a cookie. The details you type in — your name, email address and, for the contact form, your topic and message — are handled as described in our Privacy Policy, and we use them only to send the checklist, our seasonal reminders (for example the one before December 28) or a reply.
Managing storage in your browser
Every major browser lets you see and delete what websites have stored:
- Chrome — Settings → Privacy and security → Third-party cookies / Site data;
- Safari — Settings → Privacy → Manage Website Data (on iPhone: Settings → Apps → Safari → Advanced → Website Data);
- Firefox — Settings → Privacy & Security → Cookies and Site Data;
- Edge — Settings → Cookies and site permissions.
Clearing site data for openlanternpath.com removes your banner choice, so the banner will simply appear again on your next visit.
Printing the decorating calendar
Many readers print the calendar of when to put up and take down the kadomatsu and shimekazari. Printing is handled entirely by your browser: nothing is stored, and we are not told that a page was printed or saved as a PDF.
Shared family computers
Your banner choice lives in one browser, not with one person. If the whole family plans the New Year decorations on the same computer, whoever answered the banner first has answered it for everyone on that browser, until someone presses "Change cookie settings".
Changes to this policy
If we change what the guide stores — for example before next year's decorating season — we will update this page and the date at the top. Material changes will also be shown on the cookie banner the next time you visit. We look over this page every autumn, before the new decorating season starts, to make sure it still describes exactly what the guide does.