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CHRISTOPHER BORRELLI Chicago Tribune CHICAGO — Close your eyes and you can see the legacy of Raimund F. “Ray” Lotter, native son of Wurzburg, Germany, longtime adopted Santa of sorts to Chicago. You can see the strands of white lights strung throughout the Daley Center. You can see the market stalls. You can smell the potato pancakes and feel the bracing cold of December in Chicago. Twenty-five years ago, Lotter organized the first Christkindlmarket in Chicago. He died Sunday at 83. Look inside your cabinets — if you’re from the Chicago area, there’s a chance you own one, two, maybe 25 of those boot-shaped mugs that held hot mulled wine, a Christkindlmarket staple. Thank Ray Lotter. Each year, because of what he began in Chicago, the sweet steam from those mugs now floats along Dearborn Street each holiday season. Because of him, come winter, the Loop smells of grilled sausage.

United statesNew jerseyDaley centerWrigley fieldPioneer courtFederal republic of germanyRosamarie blaszczykRichardm daleyAngela merkelRaimundf ray lotterMaren biester priebeRay lotterMarlene haberlKlafs sunlight corpChicago tribuneHaus german american cultural center