With an unseasonably warm afternoon that evoked a sense of late spring, some might find string lights and snowflakes a little out of place in Palmerton Park.

But one would be hard pressed to find park-goers without a wide grin on their faces when they witnessed Santa himself was helping to decorate.Palmerton borough and Blue Ridge employees worked together on Tuesday afternoon to attach string lights to the wires surrounding the park, in addition to Delaware Avenue.Brothers Dwight and David Hawk, who could both be confused for Santa Claus any day of the year, helped to deck out the park.However, Dwight came to work in style, dressed up in the classic red suit and hat."This is the first I wore it here, but I do Santa Claus for the Service Team and for the schools," Dwight, a Blue Ridge linesman, said of the outfit.David also sports a Santa outfit when he visits local schools and daycares during the festive season.While decorating for Christmas may seem like a premature move, both Dwight and David found the day to be perfect for preparations."I figure Walmart had their stuff out before Halloween already, so if you go by their calendar, we're running behind," Dwight said with a laugh."This is unreal, this is one of the nicest years I think we've ever set up in. For a change we don't have to wear the heavy gloves and heavy clothing to work with the lights," David, a Blue Ridge and Palmerton Telephone lineman, said.Onlookers held the same sentiments, but took some holiday joy out of the scene nonetheless."I thought I was seeing things when I saw Santa Claus putting up the Christmas lights. It's just odd, because the weather's so nice. I guess once we start seeing the lights, and when the weather gets cooler, it'll put everyone in the spirit," Debrah Cintron, a Palmerton resident who was enjoying a walk in the park, said.Of course, when children caught a glimpse of Old Saint Nick, they couldn't care less if his holiday was over a month and a half away."They were following me up there, coming down here," Dwight said. "They were telling me they wanted dirt bikes and everything for Christmas. And I got just about as many adults."The borough and Blue Ridge employees will be wrapping up the decorating today, finishing some lighting in the park and lighting up the opposite side of Delaware Avenue. And even if the weather may not reflect the standard for the Christmas season, the décor is there to remind us to keep a benevolent spirit in the coming months."When Santa puts up the lights, the elves are going to come to watch us and make sure we're good 'til Christmas," Owen Brooker, 4, explained, watching in awe as Santa rode around the park.