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Monday, December 5, 2011

Cost of items in '12 Days of Christmas' tops a total of $100,000 for first time


by Shirley

I read this and thought "Hmmm someone has too much time on their hands, but it is interesting!", so I decided to share with all of you!

 

PITTSBURGH, Pa. - The price of partridges, pear trees and turtle doves has spiked, pushing the cost of every item mentioned in the carol "The Twelve Days of Christmas" above $100,000 for the first time.
Holding mostly steady this year: maids-a-milking, ladies dancing, lords-a-leaping and gold rings.
The 364 items repeated across all the song's verses would cost $101,119, an increase of 4.4 per cent over last year, according to the annual Christmas Price Index compiled by PNC Wealth Management. The broader government Consumer Price Index increased by 3.9 per cent over the same period.
Those with the money to spend would end up with 12 drummers drumming, 22 pipers piping, 30 lords-a-leaping, 36 ladies dancing, 40 maids-a-milking, 42 swans-a-swimming, 42 geese-a-laying, 40 gold rings, 36 calling birds, 30 French hens, 22 turtle doves, and 12 partridges in pear trees. (The price does not include bird maintenance.)
But buying just one set of each verse in the song will cost $24,263 this year — a moderate 3.5 per cent rise.
Eleven pipers piping will set you back $2,427, but that's a relative bargain compared to seven swans-a-swimming, which cost $6,300. That's a 12.5 per cent rise over last year.
Jim Dunigan, managing executive of investment for PNC Wealth Management, said the core rate of increase is less than half the 9.2 per cent jump last year.
"The story in general is wages are still a very sluggish part of this economy," said Dunigan, who noted that the price of eight maids-a-milking at minimum wage was $58 — the same as in 2009.
Five gold rings even declined a bit, Dunigan said, to $645, from $650 last year.
But last-minute shoppers who turn to the Internet may be in for some surprises. The core list that costs about $24,000 in stores will come to $39,860 online — a whopping 16.1 per cent increase over Internet prices last year. Dunigan said the high cost of shipping live birds explains some of the difference.
Six items didn't go up in cost this year: French hens, calling birds, gold rings, maids-a-milking, ladies dancing and lords-a-leaping. Pipers piping and drummers drumming rose 3 per cent. The partridge is still the cheapest item, at $15, and swans the most expensive.
PNC Financial Services Group Inc. checks jewelry stores, dance companies, pet stores and other sources to compile the list. Some of its sources this year include the National Aviary in Pittsburgh and the Philadelphia-based Pennsylvania Ballet Company.

 

19 comments:

Tina~in_ut said...

Good Moaning~

Shirley(NCC-1701) said...

Damn you Tina!

Tina~in_ut said...

Shirley ~ thx for sending in the blag~ very interesting~

Tina~in_ut said...

Lq~

Dianne/Denver said...

Brr it's cold outside. It is only 3degrees!!!! And snowing!

Funny blog SHIRLEy. Makes me feel all christmassy

I got up at 5:30 today. I'm now all caught up on Greys now. I'm venturing out today as I'm getting cabin fever

Morning Shirley and Tina. How r u both doing today?

Unknown said...

good morning all....

well we are snowed in and its 15 below.

I always check the obits in my hometown each morning...I didn't know her but I noticed that Ima Tollett has passed on....

Unknown said...

if we get any more people in here we're gonna to need a lubricant....ga!

Just_Lin said...

Tina Well you do look dashing today. Are you having a crafty day?

Just_Lin said...

Shirley Well, that was interesting and it sure is a good thing that none of those items are on my shopping list. Oh, yeah. There's nothing on my shopping list. I guess I better get busy on that pretty soon. Anybody have some enthusiasm they could loan me?

Just_Lin said...

Dianne Only 3 degrees? Yikes! I think I'd been staying inside and warm.

Just_Lin said...

Michael It isn't really 15 below, is it? Oh, and I like your leaping lord avatar.

Just_Lin said...

I went to my "office" party last night. It was pretty nice. They held it in the restaurant at the local golf course. Food was good and the bar made really good spicy Bloody Marys. The younger crowd went to Goodwill, etc., and found outlandishly tacky holiday sweaters to wear. Some of us older folks chose not to do that as people see a "mature" person in a sweater like that and they just think you have bad taste.

Just_Lin said...

Michael2 If I don't stop eating everything in sight and drinking Coke like it's the Fountain of Youth, I'm going to need some of that lubricant to get into my jeans.

Shirley(NCC-1701) said...

Tina stole my #1 spot!

Hi Michael, Dianne and Just Lin!

Thanks for the comments! Who ever wrote this needs to find something else to do with their time!

Nighty night!

Just_Lin said...

Sweet dreams, Shirley!

Unknown said...

J/L....you noticed!!

Just_Lin said...

Yes, I did.

Just_Lin said...

Yes, I did.

Just_Lin said...

I even noticed it twice, apparently. LOL