Beth
Beth is the narrator, and she depicts Herdman's children as the worst she has ever seen. For instance, she says these children are bullies, thieves, and smokers. The narrator talks of an incident when Leroy Herdman stole Charlie's dessert. Charlie does not mind and says he will get more desserts in church on Sunday. Hearing that there will be more desserts in church on Sunday, all Herdman's children flock to the church.
The narrator explains that when Herdman's children come to church, they jump into the pageant rehearsals and demand to take up roles of Mary, Joseph, and the wise men, among others. The narrator is angry, and she wishes her mother, who is in the church, to chase the notorious kids away. However, towards the end, the narrator is happy that Herdman's kids brought a difference in this year's pageant performance because it is the best.
Herdman's Kids
Herdman's kids are six in total, and their behavior is worrying. The narrator says these kids are notorious and scary to interact with because they are thieves, bullies, and smokers. A single mother who does not care about their behavior brings up these six children. When they storm the church, they want to take every role despite knowing nothing about the story of Christ.
Leroy Herdman
Leroy is one of Herdman's children. He is the notorious and most feared in the neighborhood. Leroy terrorizes Charlie and takes away his dessert by force. On Sunday, Leroy comes to church withal his siblings expecting to get more desserts because Charlie mentioned that there are plenty of desserts in the church.
The narrator’s mother
The narrator's mother is in charge of the pageant rehearsals after the pageant director gets involved in an accident. The narrator wishes her mother could chase away the Herdman children because they forcefully take roles in the play. When Reverend Hopkins calls the narrator's mother to cancel the rehearsals due to the bad behavior of Herdsmen's children.
Alice Wendleken
Alice is the girl who has always played the role of the Virgin Mary during the charismas pageant. However, she is sad this time because Imogene Herdman has forcefully taken her role. She wishes for the Herdman's children to be chased away.
Imogene Herdman
Imogene plays the role of the Virgin Mary in the last Christmas pageant taking the chance of Alice. Imogene does not know the story of Mary, and she has never been to church, but she learns quickly to master everything to ensure she performs well.
