Holidaze

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas for some homeless military vets in L.A., thanks to Arnold Schwarzenegger ... 'cause they now have new homes.

Arnold just paid a visit to some of the vets, now ensconced in the 25 tiny homes he bought for them. They've finally been installed, and Arnold's thrilled ... "It was fantastic to spend some time with our heroes and welcome them into their new homes."

Schwarzenegger also shared photos of the homes and selfies with the vets and everyone was stoked, including The Terminator, who said, "I am ecstatic! I am really ecstatic. To me, this is the greatest Christmas gift."

Arnold bankrolled the houses to the tune of $250k. It's become a thing in L.A. and elsewhere ... a way to abate the homeless crisis. Jon Cryer and his wife, Lisa Joyner, have also been super involved with tiny homes.

The homes are fully equipped with electricity, air conditioning and room enough to settle in. Arnold's optimistic ... "We proved that when we all work together, we can solve any problem."

The annual Kardashian/Jenner Christmas Eve party will be scaled way back for the second year in a row thanks to COVID-19 ... but that doesn't mean the fam won't be able to do a little celebrating themselves.

Sources with direct knowledge tell us ... Kris and the family made the decision to hold off on the elaborate bash the family has become known for over the years due to the alarming rise of COVID cases in the area, and all over the country for that matter.

Our sources say Kris will still get her daughters and grandkids together on Christmas Eve, but that's it ... nothing over the top.

Parties in the past have seen huge celeb guests, like J Lo, Paris Hilton, Dave Chappelle, Chrissy Teigen, Toni Braxton, Babyface, Kanye (of course) and even performances by John Legend and Sia.

The big question, of course, is if Kim's new dude, Pete Davidson, will spend part of the Christmas holiday with her. We're told Pete's headed back to NYC to spend time with immediate family. But he's been bouncing back and forth between coasts, so ya never know.

TMZ broke the story, Kim and Pete were spotted grabbing breakfast at the Bev Hills Hotel earlier in the week before Pete cruised around the city in Kim's tricked-out Rolls.

Alec Baldwin hopped on cam to deliver a holiday message ... thanking people who have supported him in the wake of the fatal shooting on the "Rust" set, saying it's been a rough road for him.

Baldwin expressed gratitude to people who reached out to him with messages of sympathy and support ... "I wanted to take a moment to say thank you to all the people who sent me such kind words and best wishes and strength and hope and prayers, thoughts and lots of encouragement. I got hundreds, hundreds of emails from friends, family and colleagues and people I haven't heard from in quite a while to send me strength and good wishes and so forth. I'm really grateful to them."

Baldwin talked about his desire to put the tragedy behind him, and at the same time acknowledged the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins will never be forgotten ... "I'm looking forward to some aspects of this being behind me, of course. For everyone who is involved in this, it'll never be behind us because someone died so tragically. I never lose sight of that, not a day goes by I don't think about that."

He then talked about the center of his life ... "It's true, I only care about my wife and my kids and moving forward with my life and trying to get through a tough time, a really tough time."

Kris Jenner is no threat to Mariah Carey for sure, but she did a respectable job with her rendition of "Jingle Bells," with an assist from her future son-in-law.

KJ posted her version of the Xmas staple, as Travis Barker, who produced the tune on "Kravis Records," kept the beat on his drum set. Not bad to have Blink-182 as your backup.

Kourtney Kardashian contributed by playing the song's title.

As for the art on the album cover ... well, it's a back-in-the-day photo, and a good one at that.

It's not the first Kris Jenner release ... back in '85 she recorded "I Like My Friends" to the tune of Randy Newman's "I Love L.A."

Jeff Bezos and GF Lauren Sanchez live a fancy-schmancy life ... nevertheless, they like circulating in public, which is exactly what they did when they grabbed some grub in St. Barts.

Don't get us wrong -- St. Barts ain't exactly Venice beach, where all are welcome. It's a super-exclusive Caribbean island where lots of rich people go during the Xmas holidays and compare the size of their yachts (FYI, that's not code).

So, that's where J&L landed, and these pics are from a local restaurant called Gyp Sea Beach. Jeff and Lauren broke bread during lunch with about 8 others at the table.  There are 2 kids in the party -- unclear whose they are.

With all the crap going on in the world, you'd think Jeff might be otherwise occupied, but he casually spent around 2 hours relaxing, eating, drinking and conversing.

No PDA during the lunch ... a stark contrast to their romantic hike earlier in the week.

Travis Scott and his foundation are working around the clock to make sure kids in his hometown of Houston don't go without a little something to bring home some holiday cheer.

TS and The Cactus Jack Foundation will distribute toys to more than 5,000 kids in Houston who come from struggling families. We're told the gifts will be pushed out across 6 Houston neighborhoods throughout the city before Christmas Day.

We've obtained pics of all the presents and toys for the kids, plenty of dolls, golf sets and even keyboards for the aspiring musician.

Families flocked to the distribution locations throughout this week, and if the kid's smiles were any indication, you can tell the gifts were well appreciated.

The massive donation comes on the heels of an effort Travis is spearheading to make sure a tragedy like what happened at his Astroworld Festival never happens again. TMZ broke the story, TS is working with government officials and music honchos to create a safety plan for cities interested in holding large events in the future.

It was a few weeks ago when Travis sat down with Charlamagne tha God and expressed he felt a responsibility to fix things moving forward and figure out what led to the deaths of 10 of his fans.

Tis the season of giving -- just ask Tory Lanez -- who put $100,000 to work, buying toys and clothing for single moms and their kids.

Donning a Santa hat and mask Wednesday, Lanez was busy giving out the items in Broward County, Florida area as vehicles pulled up to his distribution station. Lanez handed out bikes, Barbies, lightsabers, legos and more ... even passing out snacks and taking the time to chat with those in need.

In all, we're told Lanez spent about $100,000 on the event, telling us, "We’re still battling a pandemic that’s left so many people between a rock and a hard place. I’m just happy I can be a blessing to others and help them safely bring some joy back during the holidays."

If there's one thing Chevy Chase's Clark Griswold character in 'Christmas Vacation' inspired, it's lots of holiday shenanigans ... just ask one man who created a decoration prank based on the movie's most popular scene.

In a now viral TikTok, the decoration's creator shows how he constructed the homemade decoration to look like Clark dangling from his roof as he hung Christmas lights. The prank even comes complete with audio, making it sound like the struggling man is shouting for help.

In another video, you see the local fire department racing to the scene -- seemingly to help out the fake decorator -- though it's unclear if they were part of the gig as well.

Picture, meet 1,000 words ... because this mega-line shows the depth of the problem getting tested for COVID.

This is not a packed-to-the-gills airport parking lot ... it's a line Wednesday at a Miami testing site, filled with folks who wanted to know if they're COVID positive.

This is not a one-off ... there are massive lines all around the country with people struggling to follow the CDC's advice to get tested before traveling or sitting down at the XMAS table.

Miami-Dade is testing somewhere between 40,000 and 50,000 people every day. Some of the sites are operating 24/7 to keep up with demand.

Fact is ... there aren't nearly enough tests out there. In many areas, they're almost impossible to get and the wait time is sometimes 5 days and even longer. Given the rapid spread of Omicron, that doesn't cut it because as people wait for results they can and probably will infect others.

Making sure his O-linemen were happy for the holidays didn't come cheap for Kyler Murray ... 'cause TMZ Sports has learned the golf gifts he gave to his teammates this week cost $5K apiece!!!

The Arizona signal-caller shelled out the goodies to his personal protectors on Monday -- partnering with True Spec Golf to give them each a custom bag and custom clubs.

The package was sweet -- the bag featured every O-lineman's name and number and came complete with 13 total clubs -- including a driver, woods, hybrids, irons and wedges.

A rep for True Spec Golf tells us every players' clubs were properly fitted to them ... and in its entirety, the gift cost over $5,000 per bag.

Don't worry, the guys all appeared to love the presents from Murray ... smiling ear to ear while tagging balls at the True Spec Golf location in Scottsdale.

"It was a privilege to host Kyler Murray and his teammates at True Spec Golf," said the President of True Spec Golf, Ryan Richardson. "Similar to our everyday customers, some of the guys came in with years of experience and others were brand new to the game."

"It was great to show them how our data-driven, brand-agnostic approach at True Spec can improve anyone’s game regardless of skill level.”

At the moment, it's unclear if Murray -- who's previously gifted his O-linemen with scooters and paintings in the past -- will make this a yearly tradition, but we're told he will be coming back for a club fitting of his own following the season.

Buzz McCallister is probably gonna be the one who's home alone for Christmas this time around -- because he got arrested for beating up his girlfriend ... and is already out of jail.

'Home Alone' star Devin Ratray was booked on domestic violence charges Wednesday after turning himself in to the authorities in Oklahoma City -- this after a warrant was issued for his arrest ... stemming from an alleged altercation with his now-ex from 2 weeks ago.

Ratray was booked for domestic assault and battery by strangulation, a felony, as well as misdemeanor domestic assault and battery. Ratray was released on $25k bond within 15 minutes after posing for a mug shot.

As we reported ... the alleged victim filed a police report on Dec. 10, claiming Buzz had gotten violent with her in a hotel room after a night out on the town. She told cops he'd pushed her, punched her in the face and pressed his hands against her throat and mouth.

There's more disturbing detail in the probable cause affidavit -- obtained by TMZ -- which says Ratray allegedly told her, "This is how you die." The GF also told police Ratray was really drunk -- downing upwards of a dozen drinks -- and then got pissed at her for giving autographed photos of him to fans for free.

The cops note the alleged victim appeared to have multiple injuries from the dustup, including bruises and marks on her face.

Mariah Carey's classic Christmas jingle is the gift that keeps on giving ... to her bank account, that is ... we've done the math and she's scored millions of XMAS $$$.

Our music industry sources tell us Mariah still pulls in big bucks on licensing and commercial deals for the classic. While we're told she's only making a fraction of a cent every time someone streams "All I Want For Christmas Is You," the fractions add up to seven figures and counting, considering the popular Xmas track has over 1 billion streams just on Spotify.

One source who manages artists tells us singers typically make between .003 to .004 of a dollar per single stream ... and in Mariah's case, that would work out to between $3,249,600 and $4,332,800 just on Spotify alone ... and the figure will only grow.

Mariah's 1994 song is hugely popular around the holidays and as another source put it ... "Mariah can sit on her a** for the rest of her life and ONLY promote AIWFC and still be a millionaire."

What's more, the numbers don't even take into account streams on other platforms, including Apple Music. We reached out to Apple for an all-time count on 'AIWFC' streams ... so far no word back.

Streaming platforms weren't around when Mariah first launched the song, and it's pre-streaming days when she would've made the most money in sales ... but that doesn't mean today's numbers translate to chump change.

Shaggy does his Christmas a little different than most of us, which is why he's dropping new holiday tunes to spread some holiday cheer ... Jamaican style, of course!

The singer was on "TMZ Live" Wednesday to reveal how he's spending this Christmas at his island home, and it sounds like the best party you can imagine. In fact, Shaggy says those festivities inspired him to release a deluxe version of his "Christmas in the Islands" album.

Yes, the record includes his reggae-flavored covers of classics like "I'll Be Home for Christmas" and "Silent Night" ... but it also has originals that reflect the way he and his family have always spent Christmas.

The difference between what he's singing and Nat King Cole's takes -- tons of reggae and dancehall. Shaggy admits his holiday traditions might not be exactly the same as the typical ones in America, and that's why he's out to blend cultures for everyone's get-togethers.

Luka Doncic may be a Dallas Maverick, but he's clearly never forgotten where he's come from -- 'cause he just sent a bunch of gifts to kids at a hospital in his Slovenian hometown.

TMZ Sports has learned ... the NBA All-Star just directed a special delivery to the Children's Hospital of the University Medical Center Ljubljana -- surprising almost 200 kids with all kinds of goodies to brighten up their holidays.

The shipment was filled with toys -- like LEGOS and dollhouses -- as well as headphones, Jordan sportswear, and gift cards.

We're told Luka also sent each kid an autographed photo and a sweet note from the NBA star ... plus he recorded a video message that everyone got to watch from their hospital bed.

"These children are going through so much," Luka said in a statement. "I just hope this gives them a little bit of happiness during these difficult times."

"I hope they feel better soon, so they can get back to doing what they love. I'm thinking of them and I wish the children and their families a happy New Year in 2022."

Of course, this isn't the first time Doncic has given back to his Slovenian roots ... in 2020, he launched a program with Slovenian athletes Jaka Bijol and Robert Kristan to help the country's healthcare system during the pandemic.

The 22-year-old has also donated to the city of Dallas during the pandemic -- gifting 100 pairs of Jordans to healthcare workers at UT's Southwestern Medical Center.

Doncic also partnered up with Mark Cuban, Dwight Powell and the Mavs' Foundation to donate $500k to the same medical center and Parkland Hospital.

Shaquille O'Neal came through with the gifts -- and the jokes -- this holiday season ... giving back in a huge way for more than 500 kids in Atlanta ... and roasting Charles Barkley in the process!!

The Big Aristotle joined Charles and Babcock on "TMZ Live" to talk about his 20th annual Shaq-A-Claus event that went down on Monday ... which included hooking students up with backpacks, Walmart gift cards, toys, clothes, haircuts and more.

On top of that, the extravaganza came with BBQ, DJ music and games.

The Hall of Famer says he first started the yearly holiday bash back in 1992 when his mom asked him to help kids at the local Boys & Girls Club ... so, he went to the nearest Toys "R" Us and bought out the store.

O'Neal loved helping out so much, he decided to do it every year.

"This is all about making the kids happy," Shaq said. "But, more importantly, it's all about making my mother happy ... for her to see her baby boy doing good things like she taught him to do, that right there is one of the best feelings."

"Today is a special day," he added. "I saw a lot of happy kids."

Now, considering Christmas is a time when people tend to put on some holiday weight, we also had to ask how Shaq keeps off the extra pounds -- and naturally, he had to make fun of his "Inside The NBA" co-host.

"I always said to myself, I don't want to have the C.B.O.T.B.B. -- that's the Charles Barkley Over The Belt Belly," Shaq joked. "I never wanna have that, so I just try to eat right and try to stay slim."

Cases of COVID-19 are ramping up again in the United States -- and the omicron variant has firmly planted roots -- but that doesn't mean things will slow down on the Las Vegas Strip, which is set to go buck wild for NYE.

We've spoken with club sources across Sin City who all tell us the same thing -- their hyped-up party plans to ring in 2022 aren't changing a bit. In fact, Vegas might become an even bigger party destination for the big night if other cities start to shut down.

As for some of the bigger events ...
- The Chainsmokers will be at XS Nightclub
- Zedd at Zouk Nightclub
- Lil Jon at JEWEL Nightclub
- Rick Ross at Drais
- Steve Aoki at Omnia

Almost every party still has tickets available online, meaning venue capacity can still hold more people.

However, we are told casinos and clubs will continue to adhere to the mask mandate put in place by NV Governor Steve Sisolak. The mandate asks patrons to wear masks while inside indoor spaces unless eating or drinking, but as you can imagine, there will be plenty of drinking on NYE.

Of course, those government regulations could get much stricter if the situation worsens -- but as of now, it's full steam ahead.