Luke Durant Jr., better known to generations of Baltimoreans as cheerful Santa Luke, doesn’t remember a time when he didn’t groove on the magic of Christmas.
As a child, he’d get up at 4 every Christmas morning, run outside, and look skyward for a glimpse of Santa Claus. By 12 years old, he’d decided to become a Santa himself one day to help spread Christmas cheer.
The first time Durant formally donned the red suit — as an emergency fill-in when a scheduled St. Nick failed to show — the music, ringing bells and uplifting Christmas vibes affected him so deeply he went on to become Santa Claus at Mondawin Mall, a “privilege” he enjoyed for 39 straight years…