ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – For the last 36 years, the PNC Christmas Price Index has predicted the current cost for each of the gifts given in the song “The Twelve Days of Christmas.” This year, experts say your true love would have to dole out a whopping $38,993.59 to fulfill the list, and that’s only if they don’t repeat gifts. If they did, as in the song, they’d be spending $170,298.03 for all 364 gifts.
This special holiday index is similar to the U.S. Consumer Price Index, which measures the changing prices of goods and services like housing, food, and transportation which reflect the average American spending habits. While the goods and services in the Christmas Price Index are far more spirited, PNC says the price changes usually mirror those in the U.S. Consumer Price Index.
Gift prices according to the PNC in 2019
- A partridge in a pear tree – $210.17
- Two turtle doves – $300.00
- Three French hens – $181.50
- Four calling birds – $599.96
- Five golden rings – $825.00
- Six geese-a-laying – $420.00
- Seven swans-a-swimming – $13,125.00
- Eight maids-a-milking – $58.00
- Nine ladies dancing – $7,552.84
- Ten lords-a-leaping – $10,000
- Eleven pipers piping – $2,748.87
- Twelve drummers drumming – $2,972.25
Ways to Teach the Christmas Price Index
- The Stock Market Game
- PNC Christmas Price Index Activity Book
- PNC 12 Days of Christmas D.I.Y. Crafts
Insights from the 2019 PNC Christmas Price Index:
- Doves Dive: The price for Turtle Doves was down a dramatic 20%, the first drop in price since 2004.
- Rings Are Golden: After falling in 2018 due to less demand and fluctuations in gold prices, Gold Rings rebounded with a 10% increase in 2019.
- Geese Gain Again: For the second year in a row, geese saw a substantial rise in price, gaining 7.7% in 2019 largely due to an increase of interest in backyard farming.
To learn more about how the price of each individual gift has fluctuated over the years, click here.