Wednesday, November 29

Calling All True Loves...

Get ready to shell out $18,920 for your twelve-day Christmas extravaganza this year! For all those True Loves inspired by "The Twelve Days of Christmas" song, you can expect to shell out over 3 percent more than last year for your milking maids and piping pipers. Here's a little glimpse from the PNC Wealth Management press release announcing the news:

22nd ANNUAL PNC CHRISTMAS PRICE INDEX UP 3 PERCENT; DANCERS, DRUMMERS AND PIPERS EARN MORE IN TIGHT LABOR MARKET

PITTSBURGH, Nov. 27, 2006 – Historically low unemployment is making it more expensive to give the gift of live entertainment this year, according to the PNC Christmas Price Index. The tongue-in-cheek economic analysis by PNC Wealth Management is based on the cost of gifts in the holiday classic, “The Twelve Days of Christmas.”

According to the 22nd annual survey, the cost of “The Twelve Days of Christmas” is $18,920 in 2006, a 3.1 percent increase over last year. Gift prices mirrored the U.S. government’s Consumer Price Index – a widely used measure of inflation calculated by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

As part of its annual tradition, PNC Wealth Management also tabulates the “True Cost of Christmas,” which is the total cost of items gifted by a True Love who repeats all of the song’s verses. This holiday season, very generous True Loves will pay more than ever before – $75,122 – for all 364 items, up from $72,608 in 2005. This 3.5 percent increase is substantially less than last year’s 9.5 percent increase. Kleintop observed that Christmas Price Index inflation may reflect trends that led the Federal Reserve to pause interest rate hikes this year.

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Okay, I just had to share that...pretty funny stuff, right?

So...now that Black Friday and Cyber Monday are over, the Christmas shopping season is officially underway! Any special gifts you're hoping to receive? Or maybe a special gift you're buying for your True Love? :-) Leave me a comment!

4 comments:

mamaT said...

I'm looking for ideas myself. What are you getting Laney?? I don't want to go crazy since Kaylie's so little still, and her birthday is right around the corner. But shopping for her is so much fun, I can't resist a few things!!!

Anonymous said...

Thanks to your suggestion in an earlier blog...I just bought my bebeaulait. I can't wait to try it out! :-) The little sweetie is doing great. Up 6 ounces from birth weight. Wow! Almost half a pound. I must be doing something right. ;-)

As for my special gift for my True Love...I already gave it to him...tickets to the Colts vs. Eagles home game! The game was last Sunday. He LOVED it! As for what I want. I want a diamond necklace. I know, I know. I'm high maintenance. I have a suspicion Santa listened... :-) Can't wait till Dec. 25! As for Caleb. He is getting lots of hugs and kisses this year. That's all he needs. The kid has received TONS of gifts!

Anonymous said...

Well - I don't think I've been the most helpful to my hubby with Christmas ideas... I just want more clothes and the perfect fitting pair of black workout pants, which I'm sure would be about impossible to buy without me there (or with me there for that matter). I think he wants to buy me a pair of skis. Jenn, you can be the judge of whether or not that's a good idea! Actually I'm much improved since my first excursion in WV, although I get a little mad if the "map-reader" takes my down black runs!!!

We all got my mom-in-law a red Kitchen Aid mixer. I think she might actually want pink, but they didn't have that color in the store, so hopefully she will exchange it for the color she wants.

What about you, Jenn?

-Gudie

Anonymous said...

Hmmm....what to buy, what to buy. I don't know what I am going to buy for my true love. We had told each other that we weren't going to purchase presents for each other this year - which is fine with me. But, if we have some leftover cash after all the other presents are purchased, I would like to buy something for my honey. I haven't presented any ideas for the same reason. I think that for us, being married this Christmas is a WONDERFUL gift :) I'm so in love~