Arnold Schwarzenegger details reasons for giving out Christmas gifts every year
Arnold Schwarzenegger is spreading holiday cheer!
On Saturday, the Terminator star, 76, was seen in a video handing out Christmas gifts at the Hollenbeck Youth Center, marking a yearly tradition he said was inspired by his first Christmas spent in the United States as an immigrant
“There is a reason I have been handing out presents at the @hollenbeckyouthcenter in Boyle Heights for over 30 years,” Schwarzenegger explained in his caption.
“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 continued.
“I love being able to give back and see the smiles on the kids’ faces when they get their gifts. Merry Christmas!” Schwarzenegger concluded.
Speaking further 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,” the actor continued. “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.”
Elsewhere in the video, Schwarzenegger gave out Christmas gifts to local visitors, which included groups of families and children. He also chatted with them and posed for photos at the center.
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Last month, the FUBAR star posted a video of him carrying out another yearly tradition of giving out turkeys to members of the community at the Hollenbeck Youth Center for Thanksgiving.
“A three-decade tradition. Giving out turkeys at the Hollenbeck Center in East LA! How do you give back this time of year? 💪 ❤️,” Schwarzenegger captioned the clip at the time.