In something that vaguely reminds me of The Economist‘s Big Mac Index, PNC Advisors calculates the Christmas Price Index, “a tongue-in-cheek economic analysis, based on the goods and services purchased by the True Love in the holiday classic, ‘The Twelve Days of Christmas.'” An excerpt:
Indeed, the cost of the five gold rings dropped by 5.6 percent, and the pear tree is down a full 28.6 percent from last year. However, these discounts were offset by the dancers, pipers, and drummers who have seen significant increases in the cost of their services over 2002.
“The Index reflects the broader trend of productivity growth in the U.S. economy that has driven prices lower on goods while allowing prices for services to rise modestly,” said Jeff Kleintop, chief investment strategist for PNC Advisors. “Whereas in the mid-1980s the cost of the goods in the song dominated the Index, the trend over time has been toward lower goods prices, such as the pear tree, and higher prices for skilled labor, such as the pipers,” he said.
Heh. (Link via BradLands.)
[Update (26 Dec 2003 01:30 PT): By the way, if you ever want to figure out how many gifts your true love gave to you on any given day N of Christmas, it’s Nx(N+1)/2. We have Karl Friedrich Gauss (1777-1855) to thank for that. (Link via Arts & Letters Daily.)]