NATCHEZ — With the tree lighting and Christmas parade on its way, Natchez city employees are working to deck the halls.

The set up of the downtown Christmas tree should begin today, Public Works Eric Smith said.

Monday was spent taking the tree out of storage and organizing its different pieces, he said.

The main pole of the tree is the first step of the process and the rest typically spans a few days.

The tree lighting is set for Friday.

As far as other decorations, Alderwoman Joyce Arceneaux-Mathis is working to turn the visitors center into a winter wonderland.

Orchestrating the visitors center decorations, Mathis said at least four different displays will be set up at the visitors center, such as the Old Man Winter Display and the Christmas tree.

She said a wreath, poinsettias and a Santa are on the way, too.

Mathis said she is also working to get all the trees at the visitors center strung with lights.

She said the city is asking for donations of clear white lights and also asking for volunteer help to string the lights.

“We’re going to try to lay all that out in and around the intermodal center, so we can get people to drive through,” she said.

It will be the first thing people driving from Louisiana across the Mississippi River Bridge will see, Mathis said.

But she doesn’t want to stop there.

Mathis is encouraging all businesses around town to decorate, whether it be a window display or lights in trees.

She said she wants the decorations not to be sequestered just to the downtown area but across town.

“We want everybody to be involved and let’s make it a display of lights,” she said. “We want to go city limit to city limit.”

The light pole decorations have been refurbished and will be placed on the poles from the visitors center, down Canal Street and on Franklin and Main streets.

Smith said the delay in getting the light pole decorations up is when theywere sent back, they had no light bulbs in them.

So, he said public works had to put bulbs in them.

He said public works should start putting up decorations hopefully today.