The Cost of the 12 Days of Christmas
Today in the car my 5 year old, Cole, asked me if I knew the “days of Christmas song”. I said yes and naturally started singing it. By the time I got to the 7th day, I asked if I should keep going and he said yes, ha!
It got me thinking about how much the 12 days of Christmas would actually cost. After some research I found out that the cost in 2020 is down significantly due to live performances being limited, therefore, no 9 ladies dancing, 10 Lords-a-leaping, 11 pipers piping or 12 drummers drumming. Sadly, even Covid-19 has reached the price calculation of this favorite Christmas song. The total cost (without those live performances) is $105,561.80, down 38% from 2019.
Every year for the past 37 years, the PNC Christmas Price Index has published the cost for the 12 days of Christmas. This year they took into account the effects of Covid-19, making this the lowest price year since they began calculating in 1986.
According to PNC, it all started 37 years ago as a way to engage clients of PNC’s predecessor, Provident National Bank in Philadelphia, during the traditionally light holiday weeks. What hatched as the creative brainchild of the bank’s then-chief economist has since grown into one of PNC’s most popular and anticipated economic reports. You can go to the Price Index website here and check out the cost of individual items, such as French hens which is the lowest cost item at $210. There is even a fun download at the end for children and DIY craft ideas.
(photos courtesy of PNC)
