A 1907 Christmas card with Santa and his reindeer. (Photo: Public Domain)
The True Cost of the 12 Gifts of Christmas
The annual PNC Christmas Price Index® calculates the cost of Christmas from the holiday song
By Katy Grimes, December 24, 2024 7:57 am
For 40 years, PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. has calculated the prices of the 12 gifts of Christmas from the classic song, “The Twelve Days of Christmas.” The 12 gifts that compose the PNC CPI increased to $49,263.47 (a +5.4% increase) this year from $46,729.86 last year, up in total from $20,069.58 in 1984 when the report originated.
The reason this is relevant and not just silly is because “it is similar to the U.S. Consumer Price Index, which measures the changing prices of goods and services like housing, food, clothing, transportation and more that reflect the spending habits of the average American,” PNC explains.
First, here are the 12 gifts:
On the first day of Christmas my true love sent to me
A partridge in a pear tree
On the second day of Christmas my true love sent to me
Two turtle doves,
And a partridge in a pear tree.On the third day of Christmas my true love sent to me
Three French hens,
Two turtle doves,
And a partridge in a pear tree.
- four calling birds
- five gold rings
- six geese a-laying
- seven swans a-swimming
- eight maids a-milking
- nine ladies dancing
- ten lords a-leaping
- eleven pipers piping
- twelve drummers drumming
Here are the 2024 PNC results with the 2023 prices in parentheses:
A Partridge in a Pear Tree
$370.18 (2023: $319.18)
(+16.0%)
The Partridge in a Pear Tree climbed 16% in 2024 – this year’s biggest percentage jump in price. The bird costs the same, but the tree is rooting itself deeper in True Love’s wallet this year.
Two Turtle Doves
$750.00 (2023: $750.00)
(+0.0%)
After a hefty price increase in 2023, the turtledoves are taking a break from sticker-shock this year. Their $750 cost reflects their rarity.
Three French Hens
$346.50 (2023: $330.000)
(+5.0%)
It’s another modest increase for the French Hens in 2024. They rose in price by 5% this year, but they’re still the second least expensive gift in the index, making them a brilliant bargain!
Four Calling Birds
$599.96 (2023: $599.96)
(0.0%)
No, you didn’t time travel back to the 2014 Christmas Price Index. The Four Calling Birds just haven’t changed prices since then. While remaining the same for ten years can be boring, in this case it makes for reliable planning in True Love’s budget.
Five Gold Rings
$1,245.00 (2023: $1,245.00)
(0.0%)
Quick, run to the jeweler. It’s the second straight year of flat pricing in the gold market after more than five years of price hikes for this precious metal.
Six Geese-A-Laying
$900.00
(+%15.4)
The geese are on a growth streak and they’re one of the most volatile gifts in this year’s index. Their price grew by 15.4% in 2024, and that is something to honk about.
Seven Swans-A-Swimming
$13,125.00 (2023: $13,125)
(0.0%)
To buy the swans, True Love needs to be a-swimming in cash. They stayed flat this year, but they’re still the second most expensive gift in the index at $13,125.
$58.00 (2023: $59.00)
(0.0%)
Tied to the Federal Minimum Wage, which hasn’t changed since 2009, the Eight Maids-a-Milking remain priced at $58 this year.
Nine Ladies Dancing
$8,557.37 (2023: $8,308)
(3.0%)
True Love likely won’t find much solace in the fact that the price to hire a dance company only grew modestly this year. The nine ladies dancing are still one of the most expensive gifts in the index.
Ten Lords-A-Leaping
$15,579.65 (2023: $14,539)
(+7.2%)
“Leaping” is right. As if they needed the additional buffer, the ten lords leapt an additional 7.2% in total price to cement their hold as the most expensive gift in the index, surpassing the Swans last year. So, if Lords are under the tree, that’s true love indeed!
Eleven Pipers Piping
$3,714.96 (2023: $3,023)
(+15.8%)
It’s been an expensive year in the entertainment industry and the pipers are demanding their share. Their price ballooned 15.8% in 2024 due to labor costs. It might be a brilliant move to start practicing.
Twelve Drummers Drumming
$4,016.85 (2023: $3,468)
(+15.8%)
Not to be outdone by the rival pipers, the drummers also commanded a nearly 16% raise this year indicating wage inflation marches on.
“Purchasing all 364 gifts — the ‘True Cost of Christmas,’ that is buying the gifts with verses repeated — crossed the $200,000 threshold for the first time last year, and today settles in 3.6% higher at $209,272,” PNC reports.
There were no price increases this year for five of the gifts in the Index, including the Two Turtle Doves, Four Calling Birds, Five Gold Rings, Seven Swans-A-Swimming and Eight Maids-A-Milking.
Although the Partridge was unchanged, there was a 17.1% jump in price for the Pear Tree — a proxy for housing costs, which likewise continue to move higher despite average mortgage rates edging lower.
True Loves will benefit from little to no price increases for goods on this year’s list; however, rising wages for skilled labor, represented by the performers, will make a bigger dent in their budget this year. Strong labor markets have helped spread cheer to many workers who have seen wage growth rise, consistent with trends in the BLS CPI. The cost of Nine Ladies Dancing and 10 Lords-a-Leaping jumped to new heights, 11 Pipers Piping trumpeted higher, and the 12 Drummers Drumming beat a stronger sum. In aggregate, prices for performers increased 7.9% this year, substantially higher than last year’s 3.3%.
Read how the PNC Christmas Price Index is calculated. And Have a very Merry Christmas.
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Merry Christmas Katy,
I guess I will not hold my breath for the seven Lords of Leaping this year.
I will settle for time spent with my true love and my beloved furry 4 legged buddy, who is a joy every day!
May each and everyone reading this have a blessed Christmas and remember the best gift given to us is by our heavenly father, a gift that is invaluable and will give you eternal peace.
The true Lord, King and Savior. It is never too late to receive this awesome gift.
Peace be with you.
Wishing everyone at the Globe a Happy Holiday season and a Wonderful 2025! Likewise to all of the readers and regular forum folks across the country…….Clueless Dems, you too for the sake of MAGA unity.
Merry Christmas to you too, Cali Girl and Raymond! Merry Christmas to ALL the wonderful readers and commenters and even the trolls and lefties — if they’re creative — shouldn’t get coal in their stockings tonight but maybe some candy and an orange and some extra batteries. If they’ve been good! Merry Christmas to Katy Grimes and all the amazing Globe contributors. Here comes 2025!
Merry Christmas to Katy Grimes, Evan Symon and California Globe contributors who keep us informed and cover stories that the mainstream propaganda media never will.
No doubt Christmas would be outlawed if evil Hair-gel Hitler Newsom and the criminal Democrat mafia in the legislature have their way and there would be no need to calculate how much the12 gifts that compose the PNC CPI increased over last year?