Inflation has affected many things this year, including the 12 Days of Christmas, causing the total price to rise more than 10% from last year.
Key Details
- The cost of the gifts for the 12 Days of Christmas has risen 10.5% from $41,205.58 last year to $45,523.27 this year, according to the PNC Bank Christmas Price Index.
- Although the Consumer Price Index (CPI) has fallen, inflation is still record-high, causing Christmas gifts to have an increased price tag.
- This year is the third highest price since PNC started the Christmas index 39 years ago, falling behind 11.1% in 2008 and 18.4% in 2003.
- The item with the highest increase is the five golden rings, at a whopping 39.1%.
Why it’s news
Inflation is beginning to cool down, but the numbers are still affecting prices across the market, including the gifts in the 12 Days of Christmas—the items featured in classic Christmas song by the same name.
For the last 39 years, PNC Bank has made a CPI following the U.S. Consumer Price Index closely to show what it would cost to buy the gifts in the traditional Christmas carol.
Last year the gifts totaled $41,205.58, with that price jumping over 10% to $45,523.27 this year.
Breaking down the prices this year, according to PNC:
- A partridge in a pear tree: $280.18 (+25.8%)
- Two turtle doves: $600 (+33.3%)
- Three French hens: $318.75 (+25%)
- Four calling birds: $599.96 (0.0%)
- Five golden rings: $1,245 (+39.1%)
- Six geese-a-laying: $720 (+9.1%)
- Seven swans-a-swimming: $13,124.93 (+0.0%)
- Eight maids-a-milking: $58 (+0.0%)
- Nine ladies dancing: $8,308.12 (10.0%)
- 10 lords-a-leaping: $13,980.00 (+24.2%)
- 11 pipers piping: $3,021.40 (+2.6%)
- 12 drummers drumming: $3,266.94 (+2.6%)
PNC also calculated the price if you followed the song exact and added the costs when you count each repetition of the song that totals 364 presents for a hefty price tag of $197,071.09 up 9.8% more than last year.
Inflation is still affecting prices across the board, causing the Christmas price tag to be higher than last year’s.