Santa photos in San Jacinto.

Santa and Mrs. Claus, set up in San Jacinto.

The set has a wooden sleigh seat for Santa with Mrs. Claus beside him, a balloon arch over both, and a sign and harlequin backdrop behind. Families queue in a single file and step up one party at a time. Parents can use their own phones, which moves the line quickly, or the host can book the photographer The Carnival Fun Experts offers so each family is photographed by one person for the whole event.

Santa's line is calmer when other things are going on. Striped booths with simple games give children something to do, and the concessions sell churros, pretzels, popcorn, cotton candy, nachos, snow cones and caramel apples. Where the event is at a city site such as Sagecrest Park or Potter Ranch Park, the host asks the city about space and dates, and a school or church event can run the queue along a walkway or the edge of a lot. The set itself needs only the arch, the seat and a lane, so a modest event with three booths and a snack cluster can hold it as comfortably as a full carnival. While the line builds, older children can try a game and a parent can hold the place, and the host can point latecomers toward the booths until the queue shortens. A tree lighting that the host runs can sit next to the station, with the tree supplied by the host and the arch placed where the crowd gathers afterward.