Every year on the last day before spring break I do an
activity with my math students called The
12 Days of Christmas, Cheapskate Special.
We first found the costs of the 12 Days of Christmas,
courtesy of the PNC Christmas Price Index. Then we totaled them to see what it
would cost. This year it’s a whopping $34,130.99!
While I adore my true love, that’s a lot of money to spend
on gifts. So we found out how much each item costs. The breakdown is as
follows:
Partridge and pear tree: $214.99
Turtle dove: $145
French Hen: $60.50
Calling bird: $149.99
Gold ring: $150
Goose: $60
Swan: $1,875
Milking Maid: $7.25
Dancing Lady: $839.20
Leaping Lord: $550.87
Piper: $239.56
Drummer: $237.90
We then rearranged the gifts, with the most expensive one
going first.
1 swan: $1,875
2 ladies dancing: $1,678.40
3 lords: $1,652.61
4 pipers: $958.24
5 drummers: $1189.50
6 partridges/pear trees: $1,289.94
7 golden rings: $1,050
8 calling birds: $1,199.92
9 turtle doves: $1,305
10 French Hens: $605
11 Geese: $660
12 Maids: $87
The new total is $13,550.61, a savings of $20,580.38!!!
Then I played an instrumental version of the song and we
sang the entire thing with the new – and improved – lyrics. The final verse was:
On the 12th Day of Christmas my true love gave to me 12 maids a milking, 11 geese a laying, 10 French hens, 9 turtle doves, 8 calling birds, 7 golden rings, 6 partridges in pear trees, *5 drummers drumming!* (ba-da-da-da), 4 pipers piping, 3 lords a leaping, 2 ladies dancing, and a swan a swimming.
