How Much Would "Nine Ladies Dancing" Cost?
Everyone knows the best holiday gifts are tickets to dance performances, right? (Right?) Even in the classic Christmas carol “The 12 Days of Christmas,” the narrator’s true love is smart enough to present nine ladies dancing on the ninth day.
But how much are those nine dancers going to cost for the true love? $7,552.84, according to PNC Bank.
Every year since 1983, the bank has calculated the price tags of all the gifts in “The 12 Days of Christmas” as part of the PNC Christmas Price Index. They research the cost of the dancing ladies using salaries of PHILADANCO and Pennsylvania Ballet performers. Although the dancers’ price hasn’t increased over the past year (as PNC helpfully explains to those who have been living under a rock, “the arts are sluggish in an uncertain economy”), they are still the most valuable gift of the bunch. Way to beat those 10 lords and 12 drummers, girls!
| ITEM | 2014 PRICE | 2013 PRICE | % CHANGE |
|---|---|---|---|
| One Partridge in a Pear Tree | $207.68 | $199.99 | 3.8% |
| Two Turtle Doves | $125.00 | $125.00 | 0.0% |
| Three French Hens | $181.50 | $165.00 | 10.0% |
| Four Calling Birds | $599.96 | $599.96 | 0.0% |
| Five Golden Rings | $750.00 | $750.00 | 0.0% |
| Six Geese-a-Laying | $360.00 | $210.00 | 71.4% |
| Seven Swans-a-Swimming | $7,000.00 | $7,000.00 | 0.0% |
| Eight Maids-a-Milking | $58.00 | $58.00 | 0.0% |
| Nine Ladies Dancing | $7,552.84 | $7,552.84 | 0.0% |
| Ten Lords-a-Leaping | $5,348.24 | $5,243.37 | 2.0% |
| Eleven Pipers Piping | $2,635.20 | $2,635.20 | 0.0% |
| Twelve Drummers Drumming | $2,854.80 | $2,854.80 | 0.0%
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