The Real Cost Of Christmas Has Never Been Higher
By Tyler Durden
Christmas is a time for giving.. and receiving (and piling up credit card debt). But judging by the '12 days of christmas', it has never been more expensive to satisfy your true love…
As The New York Times reports, all told, the whimsical splurge will run a little less than 1 percent more than last year, largely because of slow economic growth. That works out to a grand total of just $34,363.49.
h/t @Schuldensuehner
This year, there were wide fluctuations in the price of some products, based on the data that PNC gathered from retailers, hatcheries and dance companies.
A Partridge in a Pear Tree
Cost: $210
The true bargain in the gift package, the partridge price fell 20 percent, to $20, as a result of a larger supply of the game birds. Last year, the price soared because the partridge became a popular dish among foodies, but supply apparently met demand.
Adding in the pear tree, which cost $190 — the same price as last year, according to Cinnaminson Nurseries in New Jersey — the grand total for the set is $210, or 2.3 percent less than last year.
Two Turtle Doves
Cost: $375
The costs of two turtle doves, sometimes considered a symbol of true love, are adding up this year. The brace of lovebirds cost $375, or 29.3 percent more than last year, because of a shortage of birds. According to PNC, a turtle dove lays eggs, called clutches, only two or three times a year, and each clutch has only two eggs.
Three French Hens
Cost: $181.50
The brood of imported hens, sometimes called faverolles because the breed was developed in the 1860s near the French villages of Houdan and Faverolles, came in at $181.50, the same price as 2015.
Four Calling Birds
Cost: $599.96
Once called colly birds — an ancient term for blackbirds — they are ringing up at $599.96, the same as last year. Prices for these, and other birds, can swing from year to year.
Five Golden Rings
Cost: $750
CreditShah Marai/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images
The price of gold rings held steady for the fourth year in a row. Even though gold commodity prices dipped earlier this year, they later evened out.
(According to some, the reference to five golden rings in the classic carol might have actually been to five ring-necked pheasants — which would be more in keeping with the lineup of birds in the song.)
Six Geese a-Laying
Cost: $360
The gaggle of geese remained at $360, holding steady from last year. Prices of the birds, sometimes associated with Christmas dinner, have varied, according to information PNC gathered from a waterfowl farm.
Seven Swans a-Swimming
Cost: $13,125
The cost for swans has historically been volatile. This year, the wedge of elegant birds had an impressive $13,125 price tag — or $1,875 each — the same as last year. But the price on their heads can be so variable that it skews the index’s outcome in some years.
Eight Maids a-Milking
Cost: $58
With no increase in the …read more
Source: The Real Cost Of Christmas Has Never Been Higher
