Now that Thanksgiving is over, time to think about Christmas. I’m sure that all of you are planning on giving your “true love” the gifts in the song “The Twelve Days of Christmas.” Just to give you a heads up: it’s going to cost you a pretty penny.
According to the Associated Press, you need $87,403 to purchase the items listed in the song. The most expensive item on the list? Nine ladies dancing, which costs $5,473. I’m betting you could find nine ladies to dance for less than that 😉
How come eight maids-a-milking only cost $58? Perhaps you could find a ninth and have them dance 😀
Have to admit I’m a little surprised at the cost of the five golden rings. Where in the heck can you buy a $100 gold ring? Must be mighty small 🙂
The cost of the items was compiled by PNC Wealth Management, who has been calculating the cost each year since 1984. The increase over last year was less than 1%.
Now here’s the question: how many of you could sing all twelve of the items without looking at the list to the left? (One thing is for certain: I couldn’t sing it 1-12, but I could probably do it backwards, from 12 to 1, as long as someone gave me the 12 drummers 🙂 )
Graphic from The Virginia Pilot

I can tell you from personal experience that the price of nine ladies dancing is far less than that. Unless you want them to dance for an awful long time.
I have to admit, everytime I hear 12 days of Christmas I can’t help but think of the version that Straight No Chaser did.
Why does a swan or a canary cost so much more than a goose?
And can you really imagine getting all this as a gift? You would probably never speak to the person again. That’s 184 birds in your house or on your lawn at the end of the 12 miserable days. Can you imagine the amount of filth all those birds would be generating? I guess since there will be nothing for the maids to milk, they could be cleaning up all that mess.
There is an Uncle Scrooge comic book where he really tries to purchase all these things. It´s hilarious.