How much would the 12 days of Christmas actually cost?
On the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me - a bill totalling thousands, and a partridge in a pear tree.
Research has suggested that, at current prices, the actual cost of gifting a loved one the twelve days of Christmas would be £60,274.01.
Even those who don’t want to cumulatively repeat presents from earlier days until the 12th would be forced to shell out £16,083.66.
Most festive Brits will be familiar with the traditional carol that tells of a series of presents given by the singer’s true love, from a partridge in a pear tree to 12 drummers drumming.
So gifting specialists from NetVoucherCodes.co.uk have worked out how much it would cost to replicate the song this Christmas, based on products currently available online that can be delivered to homes across the UK.
They’ve also taken into account modern attitudes that would probably frown upon the transporting and gifting lots of live animals, by sourcing alternatives that still fit the descriptions of the song
Swaps include butchered, oven-ready meats, turtle dove and songbird decorations, and swan paintings.
Other switches to make giving the twelve days of Christmas more practical, finances permitting, include hiring sky dancers instead of dancing ladies and using modern cow milking technology instead of maids.
A spokesperson from NetVoucherCodes.co.uk said: “Christmas shopping can be quite a stressful experience when considering all the family and friends you need to buy presents for, but coming up with romantic gifts for your partner can be the greatest challenge of all.
“If you’re struggling for an original idea this festive season, you could always try replicating the presents described in the classic Christmas carol The 12 Days of Christmas – provided you have tens of thousands of pounds to spare.
“According to the song and taking in to account that we live in the 21st century, the total price would be over £16,000 on a day by day basis, or over £60,000 if you wanted to take a true, cumulative approach.”
Here is the breakdown of how much it would cost to give your true love the 12 days of Christmas this year:
A partridge in a pear tree: £35.75 (x12 = £429.00)
Red Legged Partridge – whole bird (oven ready): £4.25.
½ std Bareroot Beth Pear Tree: £31.50.
Two turtle doves: £35.00 (x11 = £385.00)
Christmas 2019: Two Turtle Doves Decoration: £35.00.
Three French hens: £31.47 (x10 = £314.70)
Poulet Fermier de Licques Label Rouge 1.4-1.8kg: £10.49 x 3.
Four calling birds: £228.00 (x9 = £2,052.00)
Kay Bojesen Songbird, Ruth: £57 x 4.
Five gold rings: £1,500.00 (x8 = £12,000.00)
2mm Slight Court Standard Wedding Ring in 18 Carat Yellow Gold: £300 x 5.
Six geese a-laying: £752.59 (x7 = £5,268.13)
6kg Free Range Goode with Giblets by Copas Turkeys: £125.00 x 6.
Six Clarence Court Braddock Whites British free range duck eggs: £2.59.
Seven swans a-swimming: £335.93 (x6 = £2,015.58)
Swan Swimming in the Water Print on Canvas: £47.99 x 7.
Eight maids a-milking: £2959.92 (x5 = £14,799.60)
Summile Electric Milking Machine 25L Single Bucket Milking Machine: £369.99 x 8.
Nine ladies dancing: £1,575.00 (x4 = £6,300.00)
Hire a Christmas Sky Dancer (four hours): £175 x 9.
Ten lords a-leaping: £3050.00 (x3 = £9,150.00)
Members of the House of Lords flat rate attendance allowance: £305 x 10.
Eleven pipers piping: £1,980.00 (x2 = £3,960.00)
Bagpiper prices in the UK average: £180 x 11.
Twelve drummers drumming: £3600.00 (x1 = £3600.00)
Solo percussion prices in the UK: £300 x 12.
