Arnold Schwarzenegger spreads holiday cheer each year by handing out Christmas gifts at the Hollenbeck Youth Center in Los Angeles, and now the "Terminator" star is revealing his motivation.
Taking to social media, Schwarzenegger, 76, revealed that he had been visiting the center for "over 30 years" because of his experience in coming to the U.S. as an immigrant.
"When I first came to America, my friends at Gold's Gym were so generous. They brought me in during Christmas time and made me feel so happy and included," he captioned video of him handing out gifts. "I love being able to give back and see the smiles on the kids' faces when they get their gifts. Merry Christmas!"
Continuing his story about his first Christmas experience in the U.S., Schwarzenegger said in the video: "They gave me Christmas gifts, they had this beautiful Christmas tree, and I felt so included here in America, even though I was a foreigner, I just came to this country.
"I will never forget that kind of sweetness and kindness and inclusion, so I wanted to do the same thing when I had the money. So this is why for the last 30-something years I've been coming out here. … It makes me feel good that I can share the kindness and inspire other people to do the same thing."
Schwarzenegger also has another yearly tradition that he carries out at the Hollenbeck Youth Center: handing out turkeys at Thanksgiving.
"A three-decade tradition," he captioned video of the event at the time. "Giving out turkeys at the Hollenbeck Center in East LA! How do you give back this time of year?"
Speaking about the initiative, Schwarzenegger said: "It's great you know. We all have been working together for the last 33 years, doing Christmas toy giveaways and Turkey giveaways at the Hollenbeck Center.
"Everyone has to work together even as you can see the police force was here and volunteers are here and people that donated money are here. Everyone comes together, that's what's so great about it. A really good program."
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.