The traditional English carol “The Twelve Days of Christmas” has long been a favorite during the holiday season, standing the test of time through the centuries and inspiring amusing parodies like Bob Rivers’ “Twelve Pains of Christmas.”
But the song – which counts up from Christmas to Epiphany on Jan. 6 – has also become the peg for a whimsical way to gauge year-over-year inflation. Pennsylvania-based PNC Bank and other financial institutions have tracked the costs of each set of gifts from “Twelve Drummers Drumming” to a “Partridge in a Pear Tree” to see exactly how much it might cost a man to deliver each to his true love.
PNC’s Christmas Price Index indicated the overall cost of the song’s gifts increased 5.4% since 2023, totaling just under $50,000.
Meanwhile, the Texas-based business company Swyft Filings noted in 2023 that costs would also vary depending on each state. Taxes, regulations and other factors would be the most likely variables. The company found California, Hawaii and Washington to be the most expensive and Arkansas, Mississippi and Alabama to be the least expensive, given that variation.
THE COST OF CHRISTMAS A DECADE AGO
Laurie McAdam’s color illustration of a partridge in a pear tree. (The Modesto Bee/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
Here’s a breakdown of the costs counting down from the 12th day.
12 Drummers Drumming
PNC Bank cited wage inflation as the driving factor behind the increase in renting a 12-piece drum corps this year. Their estimated cost was $4,017; an increase of 15.6% over 2023.
Several websites estimated the average cost of a drummer for two hours was…
