THE NORTH POLE–The good news this holiday season? Paying for all the gifts included in the Christmas classic the Twelve Days of Christmas is nearly unchanged in 2019 from 2018.
The Grinchish news? It still costs nearly $40,000.
The big cost increase drivers? The cost of gold rings and geese-a-laying.
For the 36th consecutive year PNC Financial Services has released its PNC Christmas Price Index that tabulates what it would cost today to purchase all of the gifts listed in the popular holiday song, from a partridge in a pear tree to drummers drumming.
According to PNC, the 2019 price tag for The PNC Christmas Price Index is $38,993.59, a negligible $67.56 or 0.2% more than last year's cost, but less than the government's Consumer Price Index, which increased 1.8% through October in year-over-year measurement before seasonal adjustment, the company reported.
‘Truly Foul’
"Despite the stock market hitting record highs recently, it is a welcome gift for the holidays that the PNC Christmas Price Index stayed relatively flat this year," said Amanda Agati, chief investment strategist for PNC Asset Management Group, in a statement. "However, the scrooges of the season are the gold rings which saw the biggest year-over-year price increase in the index, and prices for some of our fowl friends which are truly foul."
According to PNC, which has created an interactive website at pnc.com/ChristmasPriceIndex that teaches consumers about the index and features a historical comparison of index data, this year's insights include:
- Doves Dive: The price for Turtle Doves was down a dramatic 20%, the first drop in price since 2004.
- Rings Are Golden: After falling in 2018 due to less demand and fluctuations in gold prices, Gold Rings rebounded with a 10% increase in 2019.
- Geese Gain Again: For the second year in a row, geese saw a substantial rise in price, gaining 7.7% in 2019 largely due to an increase of interest in backyard farming.
How Costs are Calculated
To mirror the government's core CPI, which excludes food and energy prices, PNC said it removes the Swans – typically the most volatile item in the index – from its total index.
The core PNC Christmas Price Index was up 0.3% from a year ago, while the government's core Consumer Price Index rose 2.3% year-over-year through October. Normally, both core indexes trail fluctuations seen in the overall index prices.
For tech-savvy True Loves, PNC said the Christmas Price Index also calculates the cost of The Twelve Days of Christmas gifts purchased on the Internet. As Internet prices tend to be higher due to travel and shipping costs, True Loves will have to splurge $42,258.91 ($3,265.32 more than in-store purchases) for the convenience of online shopping this year.
Cost to Purchase 364 Gifts
As part of its annual tradition, PNC also tabulates the "True Cost of Christmas," which is the total cost of items bestowed by a True Love who repeats all the song's verses. Purchasing all 364 gifts will require $170,298.03, down $64.23 from last year.
The PNC index's sources include retailers, hatcheries, the Philadelphia-based PHILADANCO and Pennsylvania Ballet Company.
A PNC predecessor bank in Philadelphia began estimating the cost of the 12 Christmas gifts in 1984 as a holiday client letter. This year's price is approximately 95% higher than the inaugural report 35 years ago.
