AMERICANWAY

EDITOR'S NOTE T with sharks in Belize; eaten the most memorable meal of my life in Florence, Italy; and taken to the skies in a hot-air balloon overlooking the magical city of Orlando, Florida — and the best part is, I've gotten to translate these and countless other ex- periences into the written word. Needless to say, I have a much different attitude about endings now. But I'm not the only one who has come upon an ending and been unsure of what lies ahead. The beautiful and brilliant Angelina Jolie (page 54) is on our cover this issue, and she's the director of this month's big-screen Unbroken, based on the book by Laura Hillenbrand. The film's protagonist is the late Louis "Louie" Zamperini, the Olympic track star and World War II hero who survived har- rowing trials, including being held at a Japanese prisoner of war camp . But this was not his end, as you will come to find out. No, with resilience and resolve, he found his way to a new beginning. Perhaps the most poignant and appropriate end to consider while you're sipping hot cocoa in front of a cozy fireplace is that the close of the year is drawing nigh, and 2015 is knocking at the door. For me, the holiday season is a time to reflect on 12 more months of life gone by and to ruminate on my dreams for the new year. It's a celebration, but it's also a promise; a promise that something will end but that something new will begin in its place. So it's fitting that families come together to celebrate one another and to reflect on the year's memories while creating new ones. If creating memories with your family is on your holiday wish list, head to Park City, Utah (page 64), where the snow is powdery and the town is bustling. From world-class ski resorts to top- notch eateries to the George S. and Dolores Doré Eccles 2002 Olympic Winter Games Museum, this winter getaway is not for the faint of adventure. If Christmas tunes are more likely to get you into the holiday spirit, read about the history of Christmas rock music (page 78), and you'll be jingling those bells the whole way home. As I said before, the University of Missouri be- came like home to me, which is why I'm happy that this issue also features thoughts from the mind of a fellow Tiger. Mizzou alum Kathryn Clark teaches readers all about exact totals at the gas pump and the exacting art of texting, starting on page 48. As I near the end of this column, I can't help but think about what beginnings await American Way, Celebrated Living and American Airlines Nexos after this issue comes to a close. Starting with the January 2015 issue of American Way, Ink Global, a world leader in airline publications, will take over the publishing of all three American Airlines magazines after 48 years of in-house production . This is a considerable change, to be sure, but it's an exciting one. It's an opportunity to relaunch and rebrand an even better crop of magazines and to re-engage with you, our ardent readers. You will no doubt notice certain changes come January, including a new design focus and a new structure, but you can expect the same informative, intriguing and entertaining content you've come to expect from the world's largest airline. See? Endings don't have to be so bad after all. As for my 2015 beginning, you can find me at Ink's offices, working from a new vantage point — but working on the same publications I know and love. Have a memorable holiday season, and we'll see you in the new year. THERE I SAT, a small, black dot in a sea of thou- sands of small, black dots. A steady hum of whis- pers floated past my ears. I looked to my left and saw my friend waving and smiling at me. I looked to my right and saw only unknown faces in the crowd. A figure, also in black, took the stage set before us. And the three -hour-long ceremony began. I was sitting at my college graduation from the University of Missouri, and I was not happy about it. I wasn't unhappy about sitting for three hours. I wasn't unhappy about wearing the black gown that swallowed my frame. I wasn't even unhappy about the fact that the speaker grossly mispro- nounced my name. You see, I wasn't happy that I was graduating. After four years, the place had become my home. And I was not happy about leaving it. I was not happy that the end had come. But it had, and I was forced to accept it. The summer after graduation came and went, but I was still hung up on that ending. Then, I learned that I would become an editor with American Airlines Publishing, combining my pas- sion for writing with my insatiable love of travel. That's the funny thing about endings — they almost always precede new beginnings. This was my beginning, and boy was it a breathtaking start. Throughout my time so far at American Way and Celebrated Living, I have heli-skied amid the raw and terrifying beauty of Banff, Alberta; snorkeled This Is Not the End PETER PHILLIPS C H R I S T I A N A N I E L S O N Associate Editor Want to read past "Editor's Note" columns? Visit aa.com/americanway and click on "Editor's Note." 1 0 D EC E M B E R 2 01 4 A A .CO M/A M E R I C A NWAY

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