Rebel Prince

We’ve got an action-packed weekend planned: tonight we’re going to see Chanticleer in concert at George Mason University. We saw them there last year, and there’s nothing like great music to get you in the holiday spirit. Based in San Francisco, Chanticleer gives many of their concerts in the Bay Area, including two venues at my alma maters: Memorial Church at Stanford, and St. Ignatius Church, where my high school holds its graduation. (One of Chanticleer’s notable venues on the road is the Medieval Sculpture Hall at the Met; their Christmas concert there a couple of years ago was filmed for PBS and is available on DVD.)

Tomorrow we’re off to the Hampton Roads area for a holiday party at Gretchyn and Sheldon’s, where we’ll be staying the night as well. And then Sunday we’re back in town for the Gay Men’s Chorus concert, “Men in Tights: A Pink Nutcracker,” at the Lincoln Theatre. Have a great weekend, kids!

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It’s time once again for PNC Advisors’ CPI: “Christmas Price Index,” that is. Buying all the gifts in the song “The Twelve Days of Christmas”: $66,334. Realizing that these days most people can get through the holidays without eight maids a-milking (ah, if only True Love had a wishlist, ahem): priceless.

In 1984, after all the receipts were added up, the cost of “The Twelve Days of Christmas” would have set you back $12,623—the goods alone accounting for 62 percent of your total bill. Today, the numbers tell a different story. The total cost has climbed to $17,297, a 1.6 percent annualized increase over 20 years, but services now account for 74 percent of the index, indicating a steady rise in the cost of skilled labor while the price of two turtle doves and three French hens may be a little easier on your wallet.

Every year since 1984, PNC Advisors has provided a tongue-in-cheek economic analysis, based on the cost of goods and services purchased by the True Love in the holiday classic, “The Twelve Days of Christmas.”

Check it out. It’s a fun little read, and resembles statistical articles we abstract at work. It might go like this:

12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS: ANNUAL PNC “CHRISTMAS PRICE INDEX” SHOWS COSTS OF GOODS ON THE DECLINE, SERVICES ON THE RISE
Presents data on prices of gifts given in Christmas song “The Twelve Days of Christmas,” by item, and for purchase through traditional means vs Internet, various years 1984-2004.
   Includes 1 table.
Subjects: Consumer prices and price indexes; Vacations and holidays; Electronic commerce; Music
Category breakdowns: By commodity

Yeah, we’re nerds.

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