Christmas Countdown Characters #17

It is not easy finding a Christmas celebrity whose name starts with Q ... so today I am featuring three!

Q is for "Queen of Christmas", Quentin Blake and "Queen" the band.

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1. Following on from Pollyanna yesterday, I decided to feature another fictional literary heroine, the self-appointed Queen of Christmas, of the Ann Estelle stories by Mary Engelbreit. The Queen of Christmas has been working on "The List" since just after Christmas last year. After all, if she forgets anything, "that would make Christmas not quite as wonderful as it should be." So, although she has a marvellous time ice-skating with Grandma, perhaps a sparkly red skating outfit would make it better. And going sledding with her father on his old wooden sled is great, but still, it might be nice to have a brand-new plastic one. In my illustration, the Queen of Christmas has a couple of things sorted - a "Special Dad " poster by Quentin Blake, and some song sheets of "Thank God It's Christmas" printed for her carolling on Christmas Eve!

It might sound as though Ann Estelle whose alias "Queen of Christmas" should really be called the Spoiled Princess of Christmas, but in truth, she’s just a normal little girl bedazzled by the "golden gift-getting opportunity" of Christmas. And--with no parental prodding whatsoever--our little heroine eventually realises that what she loves is the time spent with her family, not the gifts on the list, and closes the story with the kind of moral every parent would like to hear: "Oh, Dad, it’s not just the presents that matter. Don’t you know that?"

2. I couldn't omit Quentin Blake from this Christmas celebrity line up, so hence the earlier mention. You may not know Quentin, but you know his work. His Illustration style is highly recognisable. Quentin Blake, British illustrator famous for his illustrations of many of Roald Dahl's stories, The BFG, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, The Twits, Fantastic Mr Fox , Matilda and many many classics, including A Christmas Carol

from https://www.quentinblake.com

Quenton's delightful Christmas illustrations for greeting cards have supported various charities, including Survive International, a support organization for tribal peoples. Quentin is a long-standing supporter of numerous charities, some of which work to promote understanding and engagement in art and literacy, as well as organisations which support threatened peoples and animals across the globe. I think my favourite small works of art by Quentin Blake are his series of Christmas stamps all, unmistakably his own style of humour and quirkiness.

3. And if all that wasn't enough for "Q" here is Queen with their rendition of "Thank God It's Christmas!"

Too Precious to Waste

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Empress Wu Designs with Wilma

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