There are many who think that Mark Levengood has already been a Christmas host. Shouldn't SVT have already chosen him for the honorary task? But, no, that's not the case.
I know that many think I've already done it – and I think that's fun.
Sometime when the kids were very small, I got a preliminary inquiry. But you know, my own kids were small, so I didn't want to miss those Christmases, because they were so important. So it wasn't relevant, says Levengood.
"Hoping they'll ask"
And since the kids have grown up, he's been hoping to get the question.
I've thought to myself that "hoping they'll ask" and I think it's very fun to get to do it, says he.
Now he's the one who gets the honorable – but nervous – task of lighting the Christmas lights before Donald Duck just before 3 pm on Christmas Eve. It feels a bit thrilling.
I feel that my prestige is very low when it comes to lighting candles. Now I'm bluffing, I might stand there with the shame of a candle that doesn't burn, says he and laughs.
Creating a sense of community
Mark Levengood is very aware that the role of Christmas host is to be company for many who celebrate Christmas alone. He himself remembers the Christmases when he worked in elderly care, which were some of the best in his life, he tells.
I think it's possible to create a sense of community through television. So I think people in all stages of life and all family constellations can come to feel safe and like they're participating.
SVT's program director Eva Beckman explained her choice of Christmas host by saying she was looking for someone who could give us light and hope in a dark time.
So it was actually quite easy to choose a Christmas host this year. In dark times, you need extra kindness and warmth. And we actually think that this year's Christmas host will be able to thaw out the frostiest of stars, says she.
Since Arne Weise retired, SVT has appointed new Christmas hosts every year. 2003: Lotta Bromé, 2004: Ernst Kirchsteiger, 2005: Blossom Tainton, 2006: Ingvar Oldsberg, 2007: Anne Lundberg, 2008: Lasse Kronér, 2009: Lisbeth Åkerman, 2010: André Pops, 2011: Kalle Moraeus, 2012: Sarah Dawn Finer, 2013: Petra Mede, 2014: Henrik Dorsin, 2015: Gina Dirawi, 2016: Sanna Nielsen, 2017: Lotta Lundgren and Erik Haag, 2018: Kattis Ahlström, 2019: Marianne Mörck, 2020: Lars Lerin, 2021: Tareq Taylor, 2022: Babben Larsson, 2023: David Batra.
