Costlier gold and labor drove up the cost of the gifts called for on the 12 days of Christmas this year, but who's counting when it's your true love? You'd better be: Cost to fulfill the carol is now $70,961.21.
Those who can't afford $2,316 for the 10 lords-a-leaping, $15 for a patridge (the pear tree is $24.95 extra) or $1,000 each for a swimming swan probably should stick to "White Christmas." Dreaming of something is cheaper.The cost of the 12 days as outlined in the popular carol rose almost $800 this year to $14,598.78, J. Patrick Bradley, chief economist of Provident National Bank, said Monday.
The 5.9 percent increase in the bank's seventh annual Christmas Price Index compared with a 4.8 percent increase in another CPI, the Consumer Price Index, the government's inflation gauge.
Since the gifts accumulate with each refrain into a shopping nightmare of 364 items, Bradley said a lovestruck swain would have to spend $70,961.21 to buy the full carol.
The bank turned to the Philadelphia Zoo for the costs of the fowl, the Philadelphia Dance Co. for the cost of the dancers per performance and the musicians union local chapter for the cost of a single show.
Bradley said seven of the 12 items remained stable at 1988 prices -- the partridge and pear tree, turtle doves, French hens, calling birds, geese-a-laying, swans-a-swimming and maids-a-milking.
But St. Nicholas forgot to tell the gold market Christmas was coming. The cost of five gold rings thi syear, according to a local jewelry store, rose 20 percent over last year's $625.
As in other service industries, prices for the leaping lords and ladies dancing waltzed up 16 percent to $2,316 and $2,084.40, respectively.
"This increase in Christmas service industry prices mirrors what's actually happening in parts of the economy in the service sector. As a result, we are seeing an influx of people into service industry jobs," Bradley said.
Here are the prices for each of the daily gifts:
-- One partridge in a pear tree, $39.95, unchanged from last year.
-- Two turtle doves, $50, unchanged.
-- Three French hens, $15, unchanged.
-- Four calling birds, $280, unchanged.
-- Five gold rings, $750, up from $625.
-- Six geese-a-laying, $150, unchanged.
-- Seven swans-a-swimming, $7,000, unchanged.
-- Eight maids-a-milking, $26.80, unchanged.
-- Nine ladies dancing, $2,084.40, up from $1,800.
-- 10 lords-a-leaping, $2,316, up from $2,000.
-- 11 pipers piping, $905.58, up from $863.46.
--12 drummers drumming, $981.05, upr from $935.42.