The former Terminator star Arnold Schwarzenegger recently took to TikTok to share a video in which he showed off his annual Christmas tradition of delivering gifts to the Hollenbeck Youth Center in Boyle Heights, a neighborhood in Los Angeles, California. In the caption of the video, Schwarzenegger revealed why this is something that he chooses to do every year.
Schwarzenegger’s Christmas Tradition
“There is a reason I have been handing out presents at the @hollenbeckyouthcenter in Boyle Heights for over 30 years,” wrote Schwarzenegger, 76. “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.”
“I love being able to give back and see the smiles on the kids’ faces when they get their gifts,” he added. “Merry Christmas!”
In the video, Schwarzenegger can be seen handing out gifts as he talks about that first Christmas experience.
“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,” he said.
“I will never forget that sweetness and kindness and inclusion, so I wanted to do the same thing when I had the money, he added. “It makes me feel good that I can share the kindness and inspire other people to do the same thing.”
Check out Schwarzenegger’s full video below.
Related: Arnold Schwarzenegger Claims He’d ‘Make A Great President’
Schwarzenegger’s Thanksgiving Tradition
Fox News reported that the Hollenbeck Youth Center was founded in 1976, and their official website states that they give “opportunities for inner-city youth to participate in athletic, educational, cultural and community enrichment programs.”
The Hollenbeck Youth Center clearly holds a very special place in Schwarzenegger’s heart. Last month, the former governor of California shared a different video of him handing out turkeys at the facility.
“A three-decade tradition. Giving out turkeys at the Hollenbeck Center in East LA! How do you give back this time of year?” he captioned this video.
Daily Mail reported that Priscilla Hernandez, the administrative director for the center, told reporters at the time that many families are struggling in this current economy, meaning it’s more crucial than ever for those who can to give back to people in need.
Check out that video for yourself below.
Schwarzenegger Thinks He’d ‘Make A Great President’
Earlier this year, Schwarzenegger claimed that he “would make a great president” of the United States. Unfortunately for him, however, he can’t legally run for president since he was born in Austria, and the Constitution states that the leader of this country must be a natural-born citizen.
“I feel like I would make a great president,” Schwarzenegger, 76, told The BBC back in October. “But I feel that, at the same time, everything I’ve accomplished was because of America.”
“America gave me so many opportunities and the American people were so embracive, and they just received me with open arms. There was no-one there that stopped me from my success,” he continued. “So the only thing that I can’t do, which is run for president, I’m not going to complain about that.”
What do you think about Schwarzenegger’s Christmas tradition? Let us know in the comments section.
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