This article originally appeared in Business Insider.
The cost of Christmas is up 1 percent, according to PNC. The bank calculates a Christmas Price Index based on the song “The Twelve Days of Christmas.” This year, buying the whole song will set you back $27,673.21.
Most of the 12 goods and services that go into the index were unchanged, even the price of swans ($7,000), which has traditionally been the most volatile.
The big swing in prices this year came from the geese, which jumped to $360 from $210 last year. Partridges also increased in price, to $20 from $15. (Who knew partridges were so cheap?)
“While there are exceptions in given years, what’s most interesting about the index’s history is that since the beginning, year-over-year increases have averaged 2.8 percent, which is exactly the same number as the U.S. inflation index,” according to Jim Dunigan, the chief investment officer at PNC Wealth Management.
Here’s the full index:
PNC
The real lesson here seems to be: Don’t try to buy your birds online.
There’s no word yet on how the Fed might take this into account when it comes to rate hikes.
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