POULSBO — The first signs that Christmas will soon be here popped up in the heart of Little Norway Sunday morning.

In what has become an annual holiday tradition, crews from Embarq teamed with the Historic Downtown Poulsbo Association and the city to install Christmas lights, holiday banners and garland throughout downtown as merchants prepare for what they hope will be another busy holiday season.

“Everything went beautifully,” said HDPA beautification chairman Jim Wise, who owns Checker’s Expresso. “The Embarq crews were wonderful.”

With Embarq crews providing trucks to assist in installing the lights and help from a few downtown merchants and Mayor Kathryn Quade, the decorations went up without a hitch, he said.

“She was the liaison to downtown when she was on the city council, so it was good to have her again,” he said of Quade, who braved the elements to lend a helping hand.

Once again, the HDPA is providing free lights to its members to decorate their storefronts for the season, he said.

“It was a lot brighter season last year, and hopefully it will be even brighter this year,” Wise said.

HDPA President Glenn Anderson agreed that the decorations usher in the cheer of the holiday season.

“It just makes you feel good to go out and see the banners on the light poles, the lights in the store windows,” Anderson said. “It gets everyone in the holiday spirit.”

After Thanksgiving, Poulsbo’s traditional slate of holiday events including Julefest and the Jule Cup will fill downtown with even more festivities, Anderson said.

The Christmas House is scheduled to be erected Nov. 18 and Father Christmas will be there on weekends after Thanksgiving, he said.

“There should be a giving tree in the Christmas House,” Wise said. “It’s always a good time.”

For Embarq, the downtown event is a continuation of a decades-old tradition that marks the arrival of the holiday season, Embarq public/external affairs manager Jeffrey Dennison said.

“We love it and our crews have fun doing it,” Dennison said. “Rain or shine or snow, we’re prepared.”

Decorating the downtown district is something that the community wants Embarq to continue as part of its ongoing work in Poulsbo, he said.

“We’re happy to be out there, and we just have a great time,” Dennison said.