Live acts return to ‘12 Days of Christmas’ itinerary

Back on the entertainment schedule for the 2021 holiday season are live performances by “The Twelve Days of Christmas” dancing ladies, leaping lords, pipers and drummers, presented by PNC Financial Services Group (PNC Bank) of Pittsburgh, Pa. 

PNC’s annual Christmas Price Index (CPI) forecasts how much it would cost to buy all the lavish gifts mentioned in the popular holiday song. (In December 2020, PNC cancelled the final four live acts in the show, because of public safety concerns during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic.)

 

Amanda Agati, chief investment officer with the PNC Asset Management Group, said the 42 professional performers are coming back this year (9 ladies, 10 lords, 11 pipers and 12 drummers), but with newly choreographed “safely distanced” routines. 

PNC said labor costs for the four live acts in 2021 will run about $24,940, an increase of about 7.2% from 2019. 

PNC noted that the leaping lords received a sweet 12.6% raise, but the dancing ladies saw no increase in their salaries. Can that be justified?

 

In total, the price tag for the 12 Christmas gift groups in 2021 is about $41,206, up 5.7% from 2019. 

PNC has analyzed that inflation has driven up cost for the “early birds” (a partridge, two turtle doves and three French hens) from about $692 in 2019 to about $928 in 2021, an upward spike of 25.4%. 

Next up in the song are the calling birds. “Calling bird” can describe any “songbird,” but PNC pictures them as cardinals. Four cardinals cost about $600 in 2021 – no change.

 

Five gold rings in 2021 retail for a sum of $895, according to PNC. That’s an increase of 8.5% from 2019.

A goose sold for $70 in 2019, but the price has gone up to $110 per goose in 2021, so six geese now cost $660, a 57.1% price hike. 

The “really pricey” part of the song is day seven – when the swans go swimming. 

To buy seven swans in 2021, the tab is “a hefty $13,125,” said PNC’s Agati. “That’s a lot, but it’s the same as they cost in 2019.” 

But still, at $1,875 per swan, something needs to change. Two options exist. One, what if we changed the order around, and began day one with: “One swan a-swimming?” 

A sturdy pear tree should have no trouble supporting seven partridges. A partridge is smaller than a pheasant but larger than a quail. They don’t weight much and won’t roost long; partridges much prefer to have their feet on solid ground. 

Having just one swan in the song would lop $6,162 off the total cost, dropping the final invoice to about $35,044. 

Option two: Find an organization to sponsor the swan show. A perfect venue is Sylvan Heights Bird Park in Scotland Neck, N.C., located in rural Halifax County, not too far from Rocky Mount and Tarboro (cities with PNC branch banks).

There are many swans a-swimming in the habitat areas at Sylvan Heights, including elegant Trumpeter Swans. 

People can get up close to observe “more than 2,000 magnificent birds representing 220 species from around the globe,” reported Carolina Parent magazine. Editors say Sylvan Heights is one of the nation’s premier avian conservation and education centers.” 

Sylvan Heights is open Tuesday-Sunday. Admission fees apply. North Carolina Aquariums’ members qualify for reciprocity discounts. Check online at shwpark.com. 

Sylvan Heights might be a fun way to spend one day of Christmastide.