It's Christmas Day!

[Scythe13]

I really like this scenario. It makes it into a more 'mysterious' situation.

Personally. I'd get everyone nice and calm. Get out the torches, put all the night lights in place, so that we can have a lovely meal, finish off the festive evening, and get to grips with what everyone else planned to do.

Next up, comes the interest bit, when it's time for the cigars, considering nobody else really likes a nice smoke, that would see me outside by myself. I'd have to excuse myself to get my 'lighter and jacket' from the car. That would result in me being able to get my lighter and jacket, but also my small UV3-r. Coupled with the fact that I'd be outside smoking my cigar by myself, that would buy an additional amount of time to check through the other channels I had programmed in.

This would allow me to get to a heads up on what was going on further afield. Police radios, security radios, and the alike. Nice and easy bit of observation work. I could potentially find out if it's a temp thing or not. But there would be no guarantee of that. The fact that the car radio is able to function means that it's more than likely not an EMP, but there's no guarantee.

Next up, I would use the typical "Xmas" fireworks that we all see/hear every year, as an indication of people's attitudes towards the situation. More fireworks is good. Less suggests people may have already started heading back home.

Once I had a heads up for people's regional attitude, I'd think about the time of day, the routes, the alternative routes, and the alike. I typically store an additional 40 litres of fuel in the boot, as well as BOB's and GHB's, along with spare clothes. So should we need to make the journey, we would have supplies enough for a drive, or even a foot journey. Plus the wife and my fitness is definitely capable of the journey, so if we felt forced to go with the fleet of foot option, we definitely could.

I would look towards a 6am set off. The roads would be quietest around then. Plus the 'undesirables' would be either off the streets or would be asleep.

Considering the time of year of the event alongside the time of day of our travel, I don't foresee many people being able to coordinate night long layout's, holding up sections of the road. Not only would they be too cold and tired, but they know that people wouldn't be travelling this early in the day. The general population would be drunk, asleep, or nursing a hangover.

With 100km to cover, setting off around 6am would see us home by around 7:30am. Still plenty of people asleep. Also, one of the reasons for this set off time, the sun is coming up%2

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I really like this scenario. It makes it into a more 'mysterious' situation.

Personally. I'd get everyone nice and calm. Get out the torches, put all the night lights in place, so that we can have a lovely meal, finish off the festive evening, and get to grips with what everyone else planned to do.

Next up, comes the interest bit, when it's time for the cigars, considering nobody else really likes a nice smoke, that would see me outside by myself. I'd have to excuse myself to get my 'lighter and jacket' from the car. That would result in me being able to get my lighter and jacket, but also my small UV3-r. Coupled with the fact that I'd be outside smoking my cigar by myself, that would buy an additional amount of time to check through the other channels I had programmed in.

This would allow me to get to a heads up on what was going on further afield. Police radios, security radios, and the alike. Nice and easy bit of observation work. I could potentially find out if it's a temp thing or not. But there would be no guarantee of that. The fact that the car radio is able to function means that it's more than likely not an EMP, but there's no guarantee.

Next up, I would use the typical "Xmas" fireworks that we all see/hear every year, as an indication of people's attitudes towards the situation. More fireworks is good. Less suggests people may have already started heading back home.

Once I had a heads up for people's regional attitude, I'd think about the time of day, the routes, the alternative routes, and the alike. I typically store an additional 40 litres of fuel in the boot, as well as BOB's and GHB's, along with spare clothes. So should we need to make the journey, we would have supplies enough for a drive, or even a foot journey. Plus the wife and my fitness is definitely capable of the journey, so if we felt forced to go with the fleet of foot option, we definitely could.

I would look towards a 6am set off. The roads would be quietest around then. Plus the 'undesirables' would be either off the streets or would be asleep.

Considering the time of year of the event alongside the time of day of our travel, I don't foresee many people being able to coordinate night long layout's, holding up sections of the road. Not only would they be too cold and tired, but they know that people wouldn't be travelling this early in the day. The general population would be drunk, asleep, or nursing a hangover.

With 100km to cover, setting off around 6am would see us home by around 7:30am. Still plenty of people asleep. Also, one of the reasons for this set off time, the sun is coming up, slowly, which would provide us cover for any parts where we had to move, car lights off and gently trundle down the hard shoulder. Another reason, if we were on foot, we would have plenty of 'light hours' for us to find somewhere to set up a camp for a few hours to reschedule, check radios or replan our route, to avoid certain areas. The reason we wouldn't check radios continuously, because if you were on foot, you'd want to keep an ear out for other people in the area. When you're stationary, one can check the radios and the other can keep watch. Another reason, because a small stop off to set up the stove and warm the hands allows you to have much better dexterity so are going to be able to get the job done faster.

Once home...that's another situation. But the journey home, if properly planned, wouldn't be an issue.

The question "What about the family?" might arise. My response, you can't choose family. You can choose who your friends are and who you prep with. What does that mean? It means that you are family by chance and shared DNA. It doesn't mean anything more than that. You could have been born to any other family, and it is just luck that got you where you are. I think, having very little family on this continent makes it easier to rationalise this haha.

If my family were about, I'd say to my parents, before we left, if you need to leave, come to our house. I'd take my dad to the side and talk to him about my opinion and some of my preps, and let him know it would be an offer to him and mum alone, nobody else. I'd then tell them how much I loved them and said our farewells, knowing full well it could be our final farewells (I say this from the opinion of someone whose dad passed away a little over a year ago).