Downtown New Iberia is decked out in tinsel, flocked trees, bells, twinkling lights and glitz in mid-August for the production of a Lifetime Christmas film being shot in the area this month. The film is expected to air on the network this holiday season.

It’s easy to tell which people wandering through downtown New Iberia these days are part of the swarm of extras for the Lifetime Christmas film being shot here. They’re the ones wearing scarves, long-sleeved tops, furry hats and other and other fashion accessories that would never see the scorching heat of a Teche Area summer — or the muggy mists of a post-rain sauna following a traditional August afternoon rainstorm.

Along the Bayou Teche near Bouligny Plaza, members of the movie’s art department created a faux-Christmas carnival, popping up tents and wrapping them with red bunting and twinkling holiday lights. One crew wrestled with the parts of several wire-frame trees, popping the sections into their bases and connecting the obligatory green lights. Nearby, Mercedes Skiko from Los Angeles decked the awning of a local barbecue trailer with white lights, adding little touches like fake snow on the windows and “Merry Christmas” cut-outs hanging in front of the traditional fluorescent lights.

As the preparations went on, groups of extras wandered in and out, checking on the preparations as they awaited their moment in front of the lens. Over in the production trailers, crew were heading back from their dinner breaks, making sure that preparations for the festival and boat parade scenes was proceeding apace.

As with the clothing of the extras, the prominent signs for hot cocoa and marshmallows across the booths of the festival set’s booths were an incongruity in the still, balmy evening air.

One assistant producer handled questions and quietly hoped that the rain that had threatened would stay away. For the most part it did, with minor sprinkles appearing just to keep crew members on their toes while filming was underway indoors at Pelican’s on the Bayou, just down the block.

If all goes according to plan, the filming will be complete in another week. The goal, according to producers, is to have the film edited and ready for air during the 2019 Christmas season.