This week a long time dream finally came true.  When I was a wee lass, I caught an occasional glimpse of a cool television show called "Family" featuring this tight-knit family that seemed incredibly wonderful.  My own family didn't watch the show so its always sort of been this nagging memory, scraps of scenes most of which featured the oh-so-delicious Kristy McNichol.  I sort of remembered the mother and the older brother, Willie, but that was about it.

Wait for it ....this past weekend, I bought seasons 1 and 2 of Family on DVD.  It is my first DVD purchase, financed in part with a gift card my excellent friends Brenda and Michelle gave me for my birthday.  But enough of that ...

So I have watched the first three episodes.  Its magical!  Kristy is 12 in the show so its a crush of her being the girl I wish I could have been at that age -- she's so cool. Yes, at the ripe old age of 36 I can still say that with total aplomb. Plus, she grows up to be Kristy McNichol.  Rumored to be a lesbian and manic-depressive.  I have been unable to confirm either since she dropped out of public life to become a hairdresser, teach acting and run a tennis camp.

I have found countless websites listing Kristy encounters.  The closest I came to a Kristy encounter was singer-songwriter Autumn Ayers. If Kristy is half as delightful as Autumn, that would be an encounter worth having.

So what's the big deal about a 1970's television show?  Everything.  It is the best way to revisit your childhood, especially since I have a lingering fear of 1970's teenagers especially those wearing multi-striped shirts and fringed pants.  Don't ask me why. 

Watching Family reminds me of my fantasy childhood the one where I had a really cool older brother (his name was John in my head) and my  mother prepared gourmet meals and cookies (my actual mother rotated 10 recipes most involving some sort of gray item - who eats gray food?).  Plus, there was a soundrack and I had my own bathroom.  Who wouldn't want to revisit that?

So Kristy McNichol skyrockets back to the top of my list.