Christmas lighting displays are one of the more visible ways in which the jrule spirit surfaces. The han iwork of many Central Utahns is on display in evenings in business district decorations, on over-sized “Christmas trees” lighted on public squares, in residential lighting, and in flashing signs that say simply, ”Season’s Greetings” or “Merty Christmas.” The Herald recommends that you take a drive in evenings and share the spirit portrayed in holiday lighting. Provo’s downtown area looks especially bright aglain this year, with the miniature ights in more than 100 trees and the colored lights, mostly reds, in stringers acwss Center Street and University Avenue. The over-all scene has been described as a “wintertime fairyland.” The Provo City utility and parks departments put up the small lights in the trees and the electric utility people installed the acrossstreet stringers and did the wiring. Most of the small lights were purchased last year through a project sponsored by the Women’s Division of the Provo Chamber of Commerce, with merchants, women’s clubs and others cooperating by donating fimds for sponsorship or one or more trees. . Taxing Influence . Never underestimate the influence of a prospective tax break on how the consumer dollar is spent. The tax credits for home insulation expenditures written into the new National Energy Act are generally being credited with spurring the current boom in insulating material sales. Where the energy pinch itself did not move the homeowning public to action, the prospect of bottomline savings has. To give you an idea, an estimated five million American attics will be reinsulated this year, V compared with the average of some 2.7 million during each of the past several years. Demand is also strong for caulking, storm doors and windows, weather stripping and the like, plus solar heating and other alternateenergy equipment for installation of w ich tax credits may also be claimed. A ‘ The less-desirable aspect of the boom is that it has encouraged greatly expanded production and attracted new companies into the field, with the result that quality control may not be all it should be in some cases. To be sure they are getting full insulating value for their dollars, homeowners are advised to check insulation material they purchase for the R-value, the measurement of its effectiveness. The higher the value – R-26 to R-38 for ceilings or attic floors is the U.S. Energy Department recommendation – the more effective the insulation. The colder the part of the country is, the higher the Rvalue shou d be. ‘ Mineral wool, most commonly in the familiar glass fiber or rock wool form, accounts for 70 percent of the insulation market currently. The remainder utilizes cellulose fiber, treated for fire resistance, and foamed plastics, pumped into structural cavities. For individual homeowners, the insulation investment should yield both savings on fuel bills and on next year’s federal tax return. The tax credit amounts to 15 percent up to a maximum of $300 for expenditures on home insulating materials, retroactive from Apri 20, 1977, through 1984. There is also great potential for saving on the national level, according to the Mineral Insulation Manufacturers Assn. Figuring the 73 million American homes account for 20 percent of total national energy consumption, the industry-eorgaaiaathun estimates that if all were properly insulated the saving nationwide would be the equivalent of 500,000 to one million barrels of oil a day. So They Say “The intent of the extraterrestrial beings is to try to instill in mankind and earth a better way of e.” – Sir Eric Galry, Prime Minister of Grenada, a Caribbean nation, calling on the United Nations to further world peace by iitudying unidentified flying obects.