So Far

Chris interrupted, "That's just a myth though."

"No.  No it isn't.  I know you're not much for the woman, but Erin Tarn says it isn't a myth and she has the evidence to prove it."

"Well if you insist Max." Chris said with a touch of anger in his voice.

"I do.  Anyway, this apocalypse happened.  It was the great folly of humanity, however it's wasn't totally the fault of our ancestors.  The nuclear exchange, that was the mass destruction weapon used, came at a most bad time.  It happened at the very verge of the Winter Solstice.  The ley lines were thrumming and humming with power already and when they burst out like they do at midnight the morning of the Solstice all of those people died.  The world's ley line network went completely n'mbyr-drek [Gorilla Man d-bee crap.].  Now, the Solstice wasn't a celebrated holiday back then."

Max turned to Archer, "What's December 25th?"

Archer answered, "X-mas."

"Places like the Coalition and a lot of other human settlements still celebrate the ancient holiday of X-mas.  They decorate their houses inside and out and in one room they have a conifer tree that they decorate, called an X-mas tree.  This is what we've found in this house here.  This house has stood with its sagging roof and its cracked and missing windows ever since the apocalypse.  That's why we aren't going to stay here or any place like it.  It would just be wrong.  Normal happy people lived here when all Dyval broke