Can You Afford the 12 Days of Christmas?

The holidays are here! Thoughts of baking cookies and singing songs and long walks through the snow twinkle everyone’s thoughts this time of year.

One of Christmas’s favorite songs is “The Twelve Days of Christmas,” a light-hearted attempt to give the one you love extraordinary gifts. But what if you wanted to buy each of the 12 days for your own loved one?

For more than 30 years, PNC has calculated the prices of the twelve gifts from the classic carol.  The result is the PNC Christmas Price Index, a unique and whimsical holiday tradition that makes learning about the economy fun.

Here is what they had to say:

A PARTRIDGE IN A PEAR TREE

$219.95  (+4.7%)

This gift’s spike in price can be fully attributed to the Pear Tree’s increase (+5.2% from $189.99 to $199.95), while the Partridge remained flat. The Pear Tree spiked due to increased cost of living for workers and limited supply of larger, more mature trees.

TWO TURTLE DOVES

$375.00

These birds had no love lost, as prices remained steady, after a hefty increase of 29.3% in 2016.

THREE FRENCH HENS

$181.50

It’s been a quiet year for the French Hens. There was no change in their price or pecking order, due to steady supply and demand in the past year.

FOUR CALLING BIRDS

$599.96

It was business as usual this year for these feathered friends. Their price was unchanged, selling right at market value. No need to call for a discount to stimulate sales.

FIVE GOLD RINGS

$825.00  (+10%)

After five years with unchanged pricing, Gold Rings are shining bright, jumping up 10% since last year due to increased demand and popularity.

SIX GEESE-A-LAYING

$360.00

Despite a slight increase in food prices, geese just laid back this year as the goose market remained stable and their pricing, unaffected. In years past, the goose market had fluctuated due to the avian flu.

SEVEN SWANS-A-SWIMMING

$13,125.00

Although historically the most unpredictable gift of the bunch, the swans swam in a straight line in 2017, staying the same price as last year.

EIGHT MAIDS-A-MILKING

$58.00

The Maids-A-Milking are chugging along at the same price as last year, reflecting the stagnant federal minimum wage, which hasn’t changed since 2009.

NINE LADIES DANCING

$7,552.84

Despite a growing economy and rising demand for dancers, dance companies did not raise wages (and thus, prices) for the fifth year in a row.

TEN LORDS-A-LEAPING

$5,618.90  (+2%)

The price to hire high-flying men to entertain your true love rose after two years of stagnant growth.

ELEVEN PIPERS PIPING

$2,708.40

No price increase in the pipeline for these musicians. After their wage increase last year for the first time since 2013, the cost to hire Pipers in 2017 remained the same.

TWELVE DRUMMERS DRUMMING

$2,934.10

The Drummers kept the beat steady with unchanged pricing after a much-anticipated wage and price increase last year.

 

TOTAL CHRISTMAS PRICE INDEX (CPI)

$34,558.65

(+0.6%)

The cost of this year’s CPI rose ever so slightly, driven by the cost increases for the Pear Tree, the increased demand for Golden Rings, and wage increases for the Lords-a-Leaping.

 

So as you can see, the price of true love just might cost you a pretty penny or two.