Dick Van Dyke hosted a two-hour charity singalong before his 100th birthday

As reported by PEOPLE magazine, Van Dyke kicked off the celebrations early with a charity event with fans on December 30 to raise money for the Dick Van Dyke Museum and The Van Dyke Endowment of the Arts.

He started with the titular song from 1968's Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, and delighted fans with a rendition of You Two, which is his favourite tune from the same film.

He also sang Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious from 1964's Mary Poppins, and brought the show to an end with Let's Go Fly A Kite.

During the evening - during which he was joined by his wife Arlene Silver at their Malibu home - a fan asked Van Dyke was he loved most about Christmas.

He admitted it was "the singing, the caroling", before they treated fans to Nat King Cole's Caroling, Caroling.

Van Dyke delivered some deeper cuts too, including Carolina In The Morning, and the theme song from his 1960s sitcom The Dick Van Dyke Show.

Reflecting on his reasoning behind the event, he told the audience: "There are several reasons for having these - all good - but mine is to revive the art of conversation.

"I don't care if you're on a street, you're in a bus or in a restaurant, everybody's looking at their phones. Nobody talks.

"I've seen young couples having dinner together and they're both looking at their phones. 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."

He insisted the best way to live is to "have a serene attitude about things at this age".

When his 54-year-old wife Silver described him as a "very special, almost 100-year-old person", he added: "I've never met a 100-year-old person."

She then brought out a giant version of his December 8 PEOPLE Magazine cover, joking he was the next "Sexiest Man Alive".

Van Dyke teased: "Oh my God. Isn't that great? At least I didn't end up fat and bald!"