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The ‘12 days of Christmas’ will now cost more

PITTSBURGH — The slow recovery of the US economy is continuing to keep the cost of Christmas — or at least the gifts listed in The Twelve Days of Christmas — from spiralling out of control.

The "Two Turtle Doves" section of a "Fire Garden" display, on the eve of the public opening of the "Christmas at Kew" festival at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, in London. AP file photo

The "Two Turtle Doves" section of a "Fire Garden" display, on the eve of the public opening of the "Christmas at Kew" festival at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, in London. AP file photo

PITTSBURGH — The slow recovery of the US economy is continuing to keep the cost of Christmas — or at least the gifts listed in The Twelve Days of Christmas — from spiralling out of control.

The price of two turtle doves jumped from US$290 (S$414.70) to US$375 this year, but nine of the other 12 gifts listed in the carol stayed the same price or became cheaper, including a partridge in a pear tree, according to the 33rd annual PNC Wealth Management Christmas Price Index released Thursday (Nov 30).

As a result, the overall cost of the gifts listed in the song increased 0.7 per cent to US$34,363, up US$233 from last year’s total of $34,131.

PNC Financial Services Group releases the price index each year as a whimsical way of tracking inflation.

Besides the turtle doves, only the cost of 11 pipers piping and 12 drummers drumming — both up 2.8 percent — increased.

Mr Thomas Melcher, chief Investment officers for PNC Asset Management Group, said the increasing wages of drummers and pipers could signal a march toward higher wages for a broader range of workers in 2017. He said he would not be surprised to see increases coming for the eight maids-a-milking, nine ladies dancing and 10 lords-a-leaping.

“There are some underlying inflationary pressures that seem to be building,” Mr Melcher said.

The price of five gold rings, as tracked by PNC, has not gone up in three years, even though the price of gold as a commodity has.

“At a certain point, the end product should begin to reflect the price appreciation of the commodity,” Mr Melcher said.

PNC calculates the prices from sources including retailers, bird hatcheries and two Philadelphia dance groups, the Pennsylvania Ballet and Philadanco.

The cost of buying the same gifts online is US$44,603 this year, up 2.2 per cent from S$43,627 last year. But Mr Melcher cautioned that is largely because it costs more to transport animals and performers — 10 lords-a-leaping cost US$5,509 in-person, but US$13,373 online because of transportation costs — than the cost of the items themselves.

“In most instances, it is cheaper to shop online,” Mr Melcher said. “I’ve never personally shipped a swan, but I imagine it’s not the cheapest endeavor in the world.”

A buyer who purchased all the gifts each time they are mentioned in the song would spend US$156,507, up US$1,100 from last year. AP

The full set of prices for purchasing the gifts from a bricks-and-mortar business, not online, is:

Partridge, US$20; last year: US$25

Pear tree, US$190; last year: same

Two turtle doves, US$375; last year: US$290

Three French hens, US$182; last year: same

Four calling birds (canaries), US$600; last year: same

Five gold rings, US$750; last year: same

Six geese-a-laying, US$360; last year: same

Seven swans a-swimming, US$13,125; last year: same

Eight maids a-milking, US$58; last year: same

Nine ladies dancing (per performance), US$7,553; last year: same

10 lords a-leaping (per performance), US$5,509; last year: same

11 pipers piping (per performance), US$2,708; last year: $2,635

12 drummers drumming (per performance), US$2,934; last year: $2,855

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