George Pratt
George Pratt is the story's protagonist and is introduced as a man suffering from depression. George left his family long ago and has been working as a banker, but he has nothing to show. When George discovers that he does not have a reason to live on the Eve of Christmas, he decides to commit suicide. He goes into the bridge in the small town and stands along the guardrails as he plans on how to jump inside to drown.
Before George throws himself into the river, a strange young man comes straight up to him and calls him by name. The young man asks George not to commit suicide because he knows what is troubling him. The young man knows everything about George, which he finds abnormal. The man gives George a satchel and tells him to go to every house and hand it to the woman who opens the door. George does as instructed, and he later realizes the meaning of the satchel when he gets a second chance to live happily with his family.
Jim Silva
Jim Silva is the proprietor of the estate that still has light despite the entire town being in darkness. George meets Jim, and he pretends that he does not know him. He asks him about the bank closure. Jim tells George that Marty ran away with the bank's funds, forcing it to close due to inadequate of cash flow.
Shabby little man
The shabby little man is the stranger who saves the life of George. The strange man meets George when he is about to throw himself into the river, and he stops him. He gives George a satchel that later makes him acceptable to his family, and he appreciates the gift of life later.
