Cost of the 12 days of xmas up on the back of gold and poultry

Some folk have tracked the cost of the “12 days of Christmas” gifts for about a decade. This year the price has appreciated despite difficult economic times due to the cost of gold rings, geese, French hens and swans.

Musicians like the 11 pipers and the 12 drummers were a bit more expensive, at $2,562 and $2,775. Each group received a 5.5 percent raise over last year, based on information from music groups and unions. The nine ladies dancing received no raise, remaining at $6,294.

Pushing up the final bill, however, were the geese, which soared by 29.6 percent, to $210 each, up from $162, as corn and other bird feed costs jumped. The seven trumpeter swans could be found for $7,000, up 11.1 percent.

Also up 11.8 percent was the cost of a pear tree, which rose $20, to $189.99, an increase that Mr. Dunigan said reflected a better housing market. In the song, the pear tree is a perch for the partridge, but in contemporary life, it is a tree often used in residential landscaping.

The gold rings this year rose by 16.3 percent, to $750 from $645 last year. The three French hens totaled $165, an increase of 10 percent from last year’s $150.

The partridge is the cheapest item, at $15, and the swans, at $1,000 each, are the most expensive. The availability and price of swans greatly fluctuates every year, and each annual PNC list factors in the final gift total both with and without the swans.

Online shoppers will find assembling the parade of fowl and performers easier and more convenient, but shipping costs make the final bill much higher. The cost to give one set of items rises to $40,440 when buying is done online.