Graphic created by Lucas Seidel Design

Gather 'round the open fire for Chimneyside Chats - a monthly feature with holiday stories from our favorite artists. See what's in their stockings this year as they reminisce on Christmas memories, share their favorite recipe and more! Here's what musician Matt Legrand had to say:

I'm just going to start this off by saying that my Christmases are the furthest thing from stable! By that I mean I’m usually nowhere near home for the most wonderful time of the year. I will be letting you know what Christmastime in other countries have to offer!

Before settling in Chicago, I lived in France for the first six years of my life. This gave me the unique opportunity to experience Christmas in a different language and culture. Even though the sentiment stayed the same, Christmas turned to “Noël”, Santa Claus turned to “Père Noël”(which directly translates to father Christmas) and desserts turned into a cake that could actually kill someone. Though Christmases with blankets of luscious white pearly snow were much less likely in Paris than in Chicago, celebrating in the most romantic city on earth is my favorite holiday memory.

Now, onto delicious cakes that could kill someone! My favorite thing about a traditional French Christmas is in fact a dessert that could kill you called Galette Des Rois! Also known as the king of all cakes or “King Cake”, Galette Des Rois came about when someone a long time ago thought that it would be a good idea to hide a small choking hazard inside a cake and call it a game. This small object (that someone could easily choke on) is a toy king. Now If you get this toy in your slice of galette and miraculously don’t choke on it, you get to be king and wear a paper crown. Trust me, I wouldn’t even entertain this idea if the cake wasn’t so amazingly good, but we do special things during the holiday season. This is just one of the many great things that a French Christmas has to offer. Merry Christmas!