How many people does it take to put up a Christmas tree for the Obamas? Small army of White House minions takes four days at height of economic crisis

He may have suffered a blow after being forced to compromise with the Republican party over tax cuts but President Obama has not let the setback affect his Christmas.

A new time-lapse video released by the White House reveals the sheer scale of the operation to erect the official Christmas Tree of the First Family with hundreds of workers visible as the Douglas fir begins to take shape.

Grown in Pennsylvania, the tree - which is eighteen-and-a-half feet high and nearly 13ft wide - was received by Michelle Obama and her daughters Sasha and Malia last week and took four-and-a-half days to be decorated.


As well as erecting the White House's official Christmas tree, the Obamas will also light the National Christmas Tree in Washington DC on Thursday.

Barack Obama and his family will turn the lights on at the annual holiday tree lighting ceremony on the Ellipse in Presidents Park on December 9th with the event streamed live on the internet.Almost 100 volunteers from around the U.S. flew into Washington DC on the day after Thanksgiving to help decorate the White House, with its Christmas makeover expected to be seen by more than 100,000 people by the end of the month.

The timing of the White House transformation will no doubt leave Obama critics with sharpened knives. Long-term plan to reduces the U.S. budget deficit remains elusive and unemployment numbers are terrible.