Cost of 12 Days Up 6%

"The twelve days of Christmas" will cost $18,348 this holiday season - a 6.1% increase over last year - according to the 21st annual PNC Christmas Price Index. The tongue-in-cheek tabulation of what it would cost to buy five golden rings ($325), hire 12 Lords a Leaping ($10,947) and make all the other purchases mentioned in the traditional holiday carol are substantially higher due to this year's increased shipping, fuel and handling costs. The survey found these costs closely follows the overall Consumer Price Index trends. PNC Advisor Rebekah McCahan says "to think that the cost of a partridge in a pear tree would mirror what's going on at Target, for example, is pretty interesting.