Brabec Bulletin Tidbits on Life
December 17, 2025
Happy 100th Birthday, Dick Van Dyke!
The RaleighRingers
Writing is Like a Christmas Tree
How to Find Your Christmas Joy
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Happy 100th Birthday, Dick Van Dyke!
In December 2023, CBS presented “Dick Van Dyke: 98 Years of Magic” to celebrate his 98th birthday. In an interview about this event, he shared his faith by stating, “The Bible takes the secret out of living and puts purpose, joy, and faith in its place.”
Some may have wondered then if he would make it to a hundred, but he not only celebrated his 100th birthday two years later on December 13, but also celebrated the launch of his new book, 100 Rules for Living to 100: An Optimist’s Guide to a Happy Life. (Here’s a man who practices what he preaches. His last book, published a decade ago, was titled Keep Moving: And Other Tips and Truths about Living Well Longer.) When someone asked what surprised him most about his upcoming centennial birthday, he said, “The fact that I made it.”
The latest birthday video is “99-Year-Old Dick Van Dyke Reacts to His Life in Photos,” which presents short dancing clips from his favorite movies and reflections about how he got started when he had no training as a dancer. “When I was urged to dance in a scene, and I tried it, I didn’t know I could do what I did.”
He speaks about his enduring marriage to a woman half his age, saying. “Our age difference hasn’t been a problem,” adding, “We’ve done a lot of dancing and singing.” When he starts a song in this video, you will hear her in the background as she joins him in song and then asks him questions that prompt insight about his life as a whole.
Yes, I’m a lifelong fan and follower of this amazing entertainer, so I found his latest interviews uplifting and encouraging. In one, he said the key to his long life was avoiding anger and hate. He attributes reaching 100 to his “brighter outlook on life,” which he says he has always tried to maintain. He seems as mentally sharp now as ever, but says in an interview with People that he’s dealing with a couple of challenges now. He admits that he’s “a bit hard of hearing, and a tad wobbly” as he walks barefoot through his home with a cane. Yet he's still dancing.
May God continue to bless him for his abiding faith, encouraging outlook on life, and decades of joyful entertainment.
The RaleighRingers
The RaleighRingers are an internationally acclaimed community handbell choir based in Raleigh, North Carolina. In 2024, I happened to catch the PBS program titled Holiday Handbells. Until then, I didn’t know that today many are writing special bell ringer arrangements for this and other groups of serious musicians. The program I saw then was “The RaleighRingers: One Winter Evening at Meymandi,” and I was delighted to learn that this 2024 two-hour concert is now available on YouTube.
In the side panel for this video, you’ll find links to several short videos of individual songs, including “Flight of the Bumblebee,” which was on the holiday special I saw. (Notice the yellow gloves with a bee design on them.) I also enjoyed the amusing presentation of “You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch,” in which a character dressed as such comes in and messes with the bells while players don’t miss a beat.
I remain in awe of anyone who can play bells. You can stream this year’s concert of “Holiday Handbells: The RaleighRingers” by downloading the PBS app at PBS.org on a supported device like a Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, or your smartphone.
Writing is Like a Christmas Tree
In 2017, when I was binge-watching Hallmark Christmas movies, I found myself jotting down heart-touching lines from several movies that spoke to me. For example, from Rocky Mountain Christmas: “We have to accept that things come and go. The best we can do is enjoy them while we’re here.”
I didn’t note the movie here, but related to, “You don’t always have to look for something you need. Sometimes it finds you.”
In watching The Mistletoe Inn, I related so strongly to a character’s lines that I stopped the play, backed up, and then went forward, screen by screen, so that I could capture all the words. As one reviewer said of this movie, “The theme of The Mistletoe Inn is that, like literature, relationships must be lived with passion and vulnerability to succeed.”
Another reviewer described the plot: “Basically, a writer attends a writer’s conference because she wants to hear the keynote address by a famous romance writer, who of course has a secret about why he suddenly stopped writing. In introducing him, the speaker says:
‘Writing is like a Christmas tree, a story you’re living or a story you want to tell.
‘A string of lights illuminates our past; each bulb is a plot point or a meaningful event in our lives.
‘Ornaments are the characters and conflicts giving the tree personality.
‘The angel at the top is our clear point of view from above that lets us peek into the lives of others. Which just leaves the gifts under the tree, and the gifts are what each person takes away from what we create—our gift to them.’”
You can watch this particular movie and many other Hallmark movies on streaming websites such as Hallmark+, Amazon Prime, and YouTube. And check the “Christmas Movies 2025 Playlist” there to find a huge list of family-oriented Christmas movies.
How to Find Your Christmas Joy
~ Barbara’s Closing Thoughts ~
* Be careful what you let into your mind. And stop listening to ungodly people. These days, it doesn’t take much to kill one’s inner joy and peace of mind.
* Ask God for wisdom about everything you need to do (James 1:5-6). Pray that He will bless you by working all things together for your good and for His purposes for your life (Rom. 8:28).
* Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind” (Matt: 22:37 NIV)
Treasure your happy memories, my friends. Be grateful for today’s blessings, and above all, pray for God’s guidance in all your tomorrows.
MERRY CHRISTMAS and HAPPY NEW YEAR!
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