The 12 Days of Christmas Are More Expensive This Year

Inflation is an issue; especially when it comes to gift giving. But it’s even affecting the costs for “true love” this Christmas Season.

The Christmas Price Index; a measure of the cost of all the items in the final full verse of the 12 Days of Christmas, is up 5.7 percent from the last check in 2019. That is the largest increase in eight years, according to an annual calculation published by PNC, a financial services firm.

The index isn’t meant to indicate a household’s true cost for holiday gifts.

1. A partridge in a pear tree, is $222.68, up 6%.
2. Two turtle doves, are $450.00, up 50%.
3. Three French hens, are $255.00, up 40.5%.
4. Four calling birds, $599.96, same as 2019.
5. Five gold rings, are $895.00, up 8.5%.
6. Six geese a-laying, are $660.00, up 57.1%.
7. Seven swans a-swimming, $13,125.00, same as 2019.
8. Eight maids a-milking, $58.00, same as 2019.
9. Nine ladies dancing, $7,552.84, same as 2019.
10. Ten lords a-leaping, $11,260.00, up 12.6%.
11. Eleven pipers piping, $2,943.93, up 7.1%.
12. Twelve drummers drumming, $3,183.17, up 7.1%.

A lack of change in the U.S. minimum wage, or in some performing arts costs, is what led to some of the items prices remaining unchanged. While others jumped up due to rising cost in exotic animals.

If you were to combine the cost of all the items and the number of times they get mentioned in the song, then the true cost in 2021 would be $179,454.19, a 5.4% increase from 2019. But that would be for 364 presents!

Source: https://nbcnews.to/3CYYIvP