It’s that time of year again!
As it has been doing since 1984, PNC announced its annual
Christmas Price Index, which shows the current cost for one set of each of the
gifts given in the song “The Twelve Days of Christmas”.
The price tag for the 2016 PNC Christmas Price Index totals
$34,363.49, only $232.50 or .7%, more than the 2015 CPI. The increase is less than the 1.6% increase
in the government’s Consumer Price Index.
Eight of the twelve items show no change for 2016. Only the Turtle Doves (up $85 or 29.3%), the
Pipers Piping (up $73.20 or 2.8%), and the Drummers Drumming (up 79.30 or also
2.8%) cost more in 2016 than 2015. The cost
of a Partridge in a Pear Tree actually dropped (down $5.00 or 2.3%). The cost of the tree remained the same; the
drop is in the price of the Partridge, from $25.00 to $20.00.
The increase in the Turtle Dove is due to a shortage of the birds. PNC tells us “A turtle dove only lays two to three clutches a year, with only two
eggs per clutch, making these lovebirds a hard gift to find.” There has, however, been an increase in the
supply of Partridges, resulting in the price reduction.
Apparently the musicians had the only effective union this year. Each musician received an average raise of $6.63.
The performers in the group, Leapers and Dancers, earn much more
than the musicians, Pipers and Drummers, the average performer earning $687.45
each while the average musician earned only $245.33. The Dancing Lady is the highest paid of the
group, earning $288.33 more than a Leaping Lord (I know from firsthand
knowledge that dancing ladies are expensive).
The poor Milking Maids get the minimum wage of only $7.25, which did not
go up in 2016
PNC also calculates the total cost of the items gifted by the
True Love in all of the song’s verses, aka the “True Cost of Christmas”. The total cost for all 364 gifts for 2016 is
$156,507.88, $1,100.70 more than last year.
And it adds up the cost for those who prefer the convenience of
online shopping. The 2016 Internet CPI
is $44,602.53, over $10,200 more than buying in person. This is up $975.80 or 2.2% from 2015. Convenience is expensive, mostly due to added
shipping and handling costs for the specialty items.
FYI, the “cheapest” PNC Christmas Price Index was 1995, when it
was just over $15,600.
For more information on the PNC Christmas Price Index click here.
2016 PNC CHRISTMAS PRICE INDEX
2015
|
2016
|
CHANGE
|
|
One Partridge in a Pear Tree
|
$ 214.99
|
$ 209.99
|
-2.3%
|
Partridge
|
$ 25.00
|
$ 20.00
|
-20.0%
|
Pear Tree
|
$ 189.99
|
$ 189.99
|
0.
|
Two Turtle Doves
|
$ 290.00
|
$ 375.00
|
29.3%
|
Three French Hen
|
$ 181.50
|
$ 181.50
|
0.0%
|
Four Calling Birds
|
$ 599.96
|
$ 599.96
|
0.0%
|
Five Gold Rings
|
$ 750.00
|
$ 750.00
|
0.0%
|
Six Geese-a-Laying
|
$ 360.00
|
$ 360.00
|
0.0%
|
Seven
Swans-a-Swimming
|
$ 13,125.00
|
$ 13,125.00
|
0.0%
|
Eight Maids-a-Milking
|
$ 58.00
|
$ 58.00
|
0.0%
|
Nine Ladies Dancing
|
$ 7,552.84
|
$ 7,552.84
|
0.0%
|
Ten Lords-a-Leaping
|
$ 5,508.70
|
$ 5,508.70
|
0.0%
|
Eleven Pipers Piping
|
$ 2,635.20
|
$ 2,708.40
|
2.8%
|
Twelve Drummers Drumming
|
$ 2,854.80
|
$ 2,934.10
|
2.8%
|
Total Christmas Price Index
|
$ 34,130.99
|
$ 34,363.49
|
0.7%
|
TTFN
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