What's the True Cost of 10 Lords-a-Leaping?
Just how expensive would it be to surprise your friends with 10 lords-a-leaping for the holidays? If the performers are men from Pennsylvania Ballet, it would cost exactly $5,508.70. While it would be much easier (and cheaper) to catch a run of PA Ballet’s Nutcracker, the high price tag is reason for dancers to celebrate.
Why? Over the last year, there’s been a three-percent salary increase for dancers in the AGMA-affiliated company.
The figure is part of PNC Bank’s Christmas Price Index. For the last 32 years, the Philadelphia-based company has been calculating what they call “the true cost of Christmas” to determine how much it would cost to buy all of the gifts in “The 12 Days of Christmas” song.
What about the nine ladies dancing?, you may ask. It may come as a surprise that it costs about $2,000 more for one less dancer than the 10 lords-a-leaping. For 2015, the cost is $7,552.84 based on salary rates for women at Philadanco. However, the price for this gift remains the same as it was in 2014’s Christmas Price Index. According to PNC, both figured are calculated based on a “typical performance.”
If swans-a-swimming or golden rings are more your sort of gifts, you can find current pricing for all 12 verses of the song here.
