“There are several reasons for doing this — all of them good — but for me, it’s about bringing back the art of conversation.”
From there, he gently poked at a truth a lot of people didn’t want to admit they recognized: how often we sit together while mentally living somewhere else. He mentioned buses and restaurants where nobody looks up anymore, where couples share a table but not a moment.
“I may be the only person in the United States over 10 who does not have a cell phone. I don’t have a phone.”
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A few people laughed. Others just went still, because the point wasn’t the phone. It was what the phone has replaced — the casual back-and-forth that used to make ordinary days feel human.
The event itself was a love letter to his career. Van Dyke was celebrating his 100th birthday a little early (he turns 100 on December 13), and he marked it by singing some of the most recognizable songs tied to his legacy.
He opened with “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang,” joined by his vocal group, The Vantastix, and later brought the room up again with favorites like “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious” and “You Two.” The set also included “Carolina in the Morning” and the instantly familiar theme from The Dick Van Dyke Show — the kind of tune that makes people smile before they even realize they’re smiling.
At one point, someone asked what he loves most about Christmas, and he answered without hesitation: the singing and the caroling. The moment fit the whole spirit of the day — community, voices together, people actually present.
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