The ceremonial lighting of the candle before Donald Duck gets underway is the closest we have to an official Christmas tradition in Sweden and usually attracts three million viewers.
But the seasoned program leader assures that he is not nervous.
I'm not. Because I don't get nervous. I'm not that way. But instead, I get focused, says Mark Levengood.
Inclusive
Not even the lighting of the candle worries him.
I got that question 30 times at the press conference when I was appointed. But why is it so important? Because spontaneously, I think it can't be that hard – and if the match goes out, there are plenty of others to try with, he says and laughs.
For Mark Levengood, it's important that Christmas Eve on TV becomes inclusive.
I think it's been a very tough year in many ways. The world is worried. People are worried, and I think it's nice to have a Christmas where you can create some kind of community through the TV screen.
Christmas Stockings
The TV job means that it will be a different Christmas for Mark Levengood's family. Traditions have to be adjusted.
Yes, this year we're pushing them to Christmas Day. Both the kids and Jonas (Gardell) understand that I won't be present the days before Christmas. I'll be very busy. So it's better that we're there on Christmas Day.
And there's one thing Mark Levengood must have for Christmas to be perfect – his Christmas stockings.
I have a pair of stockings that are Christmas stockings. The kids have been very particular about me wearing those stockings on Christmas. But my son is 20 years old now, so there's almost nothing left of those stockings.
What kind of stockings are they?
They were stockings we bought at Disneyland once. I don't know why they became Christmas stockings. But it's with Butter on, one of the dwarfs, says Levengood and laughs.
Favorite in Donald Duck?
"I like Lady and the Tramp the most, actually. But then I also like Cinderella a lot."
What must be on the Christmas table?
"We have these Finnish boxes; rutabaga box, carrot box, and potato box. I know it sounds disgusting, but it's actually good. So I always make sure they're there."
Do you have any special Christmas tradition?
"Yes, we have traditions throughout Advent. In Finland, we have Little Christmas, which I wish Sweden would introduce. On the first Advent, when it starts to get dark, there's a loud knock on the door. Then the kids run there, and there are some small packages. It can be some coloring books or so. It's a sign that all the Santa's elves are out and about, spying and reporting to Santa."
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, 2024: Mark Levengood.
Age: 60.
Family: Two children with ex-partner Jonas Gardell.
Lives: Stockholm.
Background: Born in the USA and raised in Finland with a Finnish-Swedish mother and an American father. Came to Sweden at the age of 19.
Career: Did children's and youth programs, wrote drama for radio, got his TV breakthrough in "Folk" and his own program "Mark and his friends", 1992, which was followed by "Aha! said Mark", 1994, and "Kväll i Kungariket", 1998. Between 1995 and 1999, Levengood was deputy program manager for SVT Drama.
Levengood has worked as a conference leader for various galas and Victoriadagen, hosted Melodifestivalen twice, summer-talked on Sveriges Radio seven times, and published several chronicle collections and two children's books with Unni Lindell. He has also made several notable podcasts.
In 2015, he led "Tro, hopp och kärlek" (2015), a dating program for priests. Currently, he is the program leader for "Arvinge okänd" on SVT. He also leads "Sista ordet" on Viaplay, where he interviews famous people for broadcast after their death.
Levengood was voted Sweden's most popular neighbor in 2015 in an opinion poll commissioned by the Tenants' Association.
