Christmas Price Index
Since 1984, the cumulative costs of the items mentioned in the song have been used as a tongue-in-cheek economic indicator. This custom began with and is maintained by PNC Bank. Two pricing charts are created, referred to as the Christmas Price Index and The True Cost of Christmas. The former is an index of the current costs of one set of each of the gifts given by the True Love to the singer of the song "The Twelve Days of Christmas." The latter is the cumulative cost of all the gifts with the repetitions listed in the song. The people mentioned in the song are hired, not purchased. The total costs of all goods and services for the 2011 Christmas Price Index is $24,263.18. The original 1984 cost was $12,623.10. It has been criticized for not accurately reflecting the true cost of the gifts featured in the Christmas carol.
Read more about this topic: The Twelve Days Of Christmas (song)
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