We’ve written before at HuffPost UK about why we have the 12 days of Christmas, when they start, and what they mean.
But let’s be honest ― most people think of the Christmas carol first nowadays (you know, the one with 12 maids a’milking and the endless birds).
Though some wondered whether the gifts in the iconic song had sneaky religious meanings, Snopes has since argued it was likely just catchy.
But what about a more salient issue ― how much is all this livestock and jewellery going to cost?
Well, luckily, bank holding company PNC Bank runs the numbers every year, calling it the Total Christmas Price Index (CPI).
And this year’s is pretty eye-watering...
How much would all the gifts in the 12 Days of Christmas cost in 2024?
PNC put the grand total at $49,263.47 (£38,617.42 at the time of writing) this year.
That’s up 5.4% from last year ― in 1984 when the bank started the CPI, it was $20,069.58 (£15,730.94).
Some of the biggest changes come from the Internet, which “makes it easier to find the gifts from the song online, but these goods and services tend to be expensive, mainly due to added shipping and handling costs”; the price of services, which has increased; and fuel costs, which “have been especially volatile over the last few years.”
So what’s the breakdown?
Per PNC, the figures would be:
- A partridge in a pear tree ($370.18/£290.19, +16.0%)
- Two turtle doves ($750.00/£587.87, +0.0%)
- Three French hens ($346.50/£271.60, +5.0%)
- Four calling birds ($599.96/£470.27, +0.0%)
- Five gold rings ($1,245.00/£975.87, +0.0%)
- Six geese-a-laying ($900.00/£705.45, +15.4%)
- Seven swans-a-swimming ($13,125.00/£10,287.78, +0.0%)
- Eight maids-a-milking ($58.00/£45.46, +0.0%)
- Nine ladies dancing ($8,557.37/£6,707.91, +3.0%)
- Ten lords-a-leaping ($15,579.65/£12,212.50, +7.2%)
- Eleven pipers piping ($3,714.96/£2,912.06, +15.8%)
- Twelve drummers drumming ($4,016.85/£3,148.71, +15.8%)
The maids a’milking are especially cheap due to stagnant wages, PNC explains, while flattening gold prices have helped to keep the five rings’ price steady.
But labour costs may be fairer in the entertainment industry following various recent strikes, PNC suggests, which is why the 11 pipers piping can command almost 16% more pay than last year.
Swans are, for some reason, the most volatile gift price-wise.
Lastly, the bank calculated the overall cost of the songif you counted every gift each time it’s repeated.
That’d put the figure at $209,272.00 (£164,042.04) and a total of 364 pressies ― but be comforted (?) by the fact the price hike would be a little lower, at 3.6%.