Obamas held a secret Alice in Wonderland-themed party at White House in depths of recession in 2009 | Mail Online

Obamas held a secret Alice in Wonderland-themed party at White House in depths of recession in 2009 | Mail Online:

Right as the economy was going down the rabbit hole, the Obamas decided to host an Alice in Wonderland themed Halloween party, complete with Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter and Tim Burton-arranged decorations.

They even talked to Star Wars director George Lucas and convinced him to lend them the original Chewbacca costume for the entertainment of their guests.

The extravagant fantasy world that they created, however, was kept very much under wraps because at the time of Halloween 2009, the economy was in the slumps and the national unemployment rate was still at a dismal 10 per cent.

Tradition: The first couple hands out packets of sugar cookies, dried fruit and M&Ms with the seal of the president to kids before the lavish party

The details about the lavish affair come from the pages of a new book about the relationship of the first couple during Mr Obama's presidency.

'White House officials were so nervous about how a splashy, Hollywood-esque party would look to jobless Americans — or their representatives in Congress, who would soon vote on health care — that the event was not discussed publicly and Burton’s and Depp’s contributions went unacknowledged,' recounts Jodi Kantor in her book, 'The Obamas'.

As is tradition, the Obamas handed out treats to Washington, D.C. school children earlier in the day, and while that event was covered heavily by the press, their later festivities were very actively kept secret.

Host with the most: Johnny Depp greeted the children while standing on a table in the State Dining Room while dressed up as the Mad Hatter

For the kids: The Obamas, seen here handing out treats to Washington school children before the hush-hush party for military families

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