Birdie: By the Southern Pines Police Department, for becoming the first department in Moore County to receive an advanced accreditation recognition from the Commission of Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies. Such awards don't come easy - only after an exhaustive assessment to see if the body in question is meeting 480 standards for community service. Way to go.

Birdie: By brothers Brad and Travis Greene, who are putting up dazzlingly elaborate Christmas decorations on their adjoining homes in Whispering Pines, with donations from admiring passers-by going to benefit the KT Foundation, which helps those afflicted with a rare vascular disorder. Good cheer for a good cause!