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Price of gifts listed in 'Twelve Days of Christmas' carol hits $78,100
By Dan Nephin, THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
PITTSBURGH - While the origins of the Christmas carol "The Twelve Days of Christmas" may be a mystery, one thing is certain: It's getting more costly to buy your true love all the items mentioned.
It would cost $78,100 to buy the 364 items, from a single partridge in a pear tree to the 12 drummers drumming, repeatedly on each day as the song suggests, according to the annual PNC Christmas Price Index compiled by PNC Wealth Management. The cost is up 4 per cent from $75,122 last year.
Buying each item in the song just once would cost $19,507, up 3.1 per cent from last year's $18,921.
Though a humorous look, PNC said the index mirrors actual economic trends. PNC has been calculating the cost of Christmas since 1984.
Helping push the cost up this year is the minimum wage hike, which bumped the cost of eight maids a-milking from about $41 to nearly $47.
"They have not had an increase since 1997," said Jim Dunigan, managing executive of investment for PNC Wealth Management. "The good news is, if you're a maids a-milking, they will also see an increase in 2008 and 2009."
Higher food costs pushed the six geese a-laying from $300 to $360. And reflecting higher gold prices, those five gold rings will cost $395, up 21.5 per cent from last year's $325.
"The cost of the gold rings in this year's Christmas Price Index reflects the general trend of increasing commodity prices in the Consumer Price Index, including gold," Dunigan said. "In addition, increased fears about inflation and the value of the dollar may have led investors to turn to gold as a safer place to invest their money."
Not everything is more costly. The price of a partridge ($15), two turtle doves ($40) and three French hens ($40) remained the same, as did seven swans a-swimming, at $4,200, and nine ladies dancing, at $4,759.
PNC checks jewelry stores, dance companies, pet stores and other sources to compile the list, Dunigan said.
If one had $78,000 to splurge for Christmas, there's "probably a Mercedes or a Hummer in there someplace," Dunigan said. "The key there is you'd lose the romantic value."
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Cost of 'Twelve Days of Christmas' items
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Prices of items in the Christmas carol "The Twelve Days of Christmas," according to PNC Wealth Management:
Partridge, $15 (last year: same)
Pear Tree, $150 (last year: $130)
Two Turtle Doves, $40 (last year: same)
Three French Hens, $45 (last year: same)
Four Calling Birds (canaries), $600 (last year: $480)
Five Gold Rings, $395 (last year: $325)
Six Geese a-Laying, $360 (last year: $300)
Seven Swans a-Swimming, $4,200 (last year: same)
Eight Maids a-Milking, $47 (last year: $41)
Nine Ladies Dancing (per performance), $4,759 (last year: same)
10 Lords a-Leaping (per performance), $4,285 (last year: $4,160)
11 Pipers Piping (per performance), $2,213 (last year: $2,124)
12 Drummers Drumming (per performance), $2,398 (last year: $2,301)
Price of gifts listed in 'Twelve Days of Christmas' carol hits $78,100
By Dan Nephin, THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
PITTSBURGH - While the origins of the Christmas carol "The Twelve Days of Christmas" may be a mystery, one thing is certain: It's getting more costly to buy your true love all the items mentioned.
It would cost $78,100 to buy the 364 items, from a single partridge in a pear tree to the 12 drummers drumming, repeatedly on each day as the song suggests, according to the annual PNC Christmas Price Index compiled by PNC Wealth Management. The cost is up 4 per cent from $75,122 last year.
Buying each item in the song just once would cost $19,507, up 3.1 per cent from last year's $18,921.
Though a humorous look, PNC said the index mirrors actual economic trends. PNC has been calculating the cost of Christmas since 1984.
Helping push the cost up this year is the minimum wage hike, which bumped the cost of eight maids a-milking from about $41 to nearly $47.
"They have not had an increase since 1997," said Jim Dunigan, managing executive of investment for PNC Wealth Management. "The good news is, if you're a maids a-milking, they will also see an increase in 2008 and 2009."
Higher food costs pushed the six geese a-laying from $300 to $360. And reflecting higher gold prices, those five gold rings will cost $395, up 21.5 per cent from last year's $325.
"The cost of the gold rings in this year's Christmas Price Index reflects the general trend of increasing commodity prices in the Consumer Price Index, including gold," Dunigan said. "In addition, increased fears about inflation and the value of the dollar may have led investors to turn to gold as a safer place to invest their money."
Not everything is more costly. The price of a partridge ($15), two turtle doves ($40) and three French hens ($40) remained the same, as did seven swans a-swimming, at $4,200, and nine ladies dancing, at $4,759.
PNC checks jewelry stores, dance companies, pet stores and other sources to compile the list, Dunigan said.
If one had $78,000 to splurge for Christmas, there's "probably a Mercedes or a Hummer in there someplace," Dunigan said. "The key there is you'd lose the romantic value."
-
Cost of 'Twelve Days of Christmas' items
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Prices of items in the Christmas carol "The Twelve Days of Christmas," according to PNC Wealth Management:
Partridge, $15 (last year: same)
Pear Tree, $150 (last year: $130)
Two Turtle Doves, $40 (last year: same)
Three French Hens, $45 (last year: same)
Four Calling Birds (canaries), $600 (last year: $480)
Five Gold Rings, $395 (last year: $325)
Six Geese a-Laying, $360 (last year: $300)
Seven Swans a-Swimming, $4,200 (last year: same)
Eight Maids a-Milking, $47 (last year: $41)
Nine Ladies Dancing (per performance), $4,759 (last year: same)
10 Lords a-Leaping (per performance), $4,285 (last year: $4,160)
11 Pipers Piping (per performance), $2,213 (last year: $2,124)
12 Drummers Drumming (per performance), $2,398 (last year: $2,301)
various video game theme variations of the "12 Days of Christmas" song
