Christmas at the in-laws: survival guide for the family computer

Christmas is all about the holiday magic: the yule log, the garlands, and your uncle’s political debate between the turkey and the cheese. And the family computer, sitting in the living room like a landmine.

Because at Christmas, screens get shared. And let’s be honest: the suggestion that pops up at the worst moment will never be your lasagna recipe. It’ll be that site you obviously never visited, proudly displayed for your mother-in-law to see.

Here are six high-risk holiday scenarios, and how to handle them with style.

1. Printing your train ticket on your father-in-law’s computer

On the morning of the 26th, you need to print your return ticket. Only your father-in-law’s printer works, hooked up to his old PC. You log into your email… and Chrome kindly offers to sync your account. One wrong click, and your solo evenings get added to his browsing history. He, by the way, always types “l” to go to Leboncoin. Not cool.

The fix: open an incognito window (Ctrl + Shift + N), log in, print, close the window. Nothing is saved. And if Chrome offers to connect you to your profile, politely refuse—just like you would a third helping of cake.

2. The computer hooked up to the living room TV

“Hang on, I’ll show you the vacation photos on the big TV!” You plug your computer in via HDMI, open a new tab to access your album. Suddenly, on 65 inches, right in front of the whole family, Chrome displays your favorite shortcuts—with their nice little icons. The Brittany photos really aren’t the highlight anymore, not next to those happy-looking women.

The fix: before plugging anything in, open an incognito or guest window: no shortcuts, no suggestions. Even better, tidy things up before you leave (see the checklist below). Best of all: check your favorite WasntMe extension—if there’s a notification badge, have it clean up, pronto!

3. The nephew who “just wants to play” on your phone

Timéo, 8 years old, wants your phone to play a game. Three minutes later, he’s opened Chrome “because the game wasn’t working anymore” and starts typing “p” to look for Pokémon. Chrome, ever helpful, offers something else that starts with “p.” You dive over the couch.

The fix: lock your phone to a single app before handing it over. On Android, that’s app pinning in security settings. On iPhone, use Guided Access in accessibility settings. The kid is stuck in his game and you need your passcode to exit.

4. “Can I borrow your laptop for a minute?”

Your sister-in-law wants to check her email, your brother-in-law wants to check the game score. You hand them your laptop, with your Chrome and your suggestions. Your brother-in-law types “x” to go to X. Chrome has other ideas. Awkward silence.

The fix: Before you hand over your computer, glance up at the top right. If you have WasntMe, the icon will show you at a glance if there are any compromising traces left: if a badge is showing, clean up in three clicks before sharing. Otherwise, use Chrome’s guest mode: click your profile picture, then “Guest.” A blank window opens with none of your history or suggestions (but let’s be real—they’ll know why you did it.)

5. The night in the guest room

The air mattress squeaks, your partner is still up with her sister, and you’re bored on your phone. You think you’re totally safe. Except your phone and computer are both hooked to the same Google account. The next day, your partner borrows your computer to check the weather and your late-night browsing patiently waits in the suggestions.

The fix: On your phone, incognito isn’t an option—it’s a necessity. And on your computer, the WasntMe icon will also alert you when any traces have synced from your phone: one glance at the badge, three clicks, and weather is the only thing that comes up in conversation.

6. Grandma’s tablet

This year, you’re gifting grandma a tablet. To save time, you set it up with your own Google account “just to install a few apps.” Fatal error: your history and suggestions get synced to the tablet. On January 1st, grandma wants to look up the galette des rois recipe. She types “g.” She discovers the internet the hard way.

The fix: always set up the tablet with an account in grandma’s name—even if you have to create one for her. If you’ve already used yours, remove it in the tablet settings (under accounts) before you wrap it up.

Checklist before you leave

Before loading the presents in the car, take five minutes for your laptop and your phone:

• Clean your browsing history, suggestions, shortcuts, and cookies
• Check that Chrome’s guest mode works smoothly, so you can lend your computer stress-free (“Wait, did you put guest mode on for me? Why?”)
• Turn on app pinning or Guided Access on your phone
• Open incognito mode on your phone for those nights in the guest room
• Remove your account from any device you’re gifting

WasntMe: your Christmas landmine detector

For the first box on your checklist, WasntMe does the job in three clicks. The extension spots adult sites and explicit searches in your Chrome—syncing from your phone included—and erases only those traces: history, searches, cookies, cache. Your yule log recipes stay safe.

And during the holidays, its icon becomes your best friend. One glance at the top right tells you if your Chrome is ready for company. No badge: hand over your laptop with peace of mind. Badge showing: three clicks before handing it to your mother-in-law.

Free, no account needed, and nothing leaves your browser.

Add WasntMe to Chrome