U.S. Christmas Price Index inflation per item 2023

The Christmas Price Index has not been immune to the impacts of inflation in 2023, with the cost of five gold rings increasing by 13.9 percent, and two turtle doves by 25 percent.

A festive basket of goods

Traditionally, the Consumer Price Index (CPI) in the United States measures the rate of inflation on a basket of goods as a way to document the general inflationary experience of all urban consumers. The Christmas Price Index has been used for decades to humorously measure the changing cost of a particular set of goods over time – in this case the items described in the popular holiday tune, “The Twelve Days of Christmas.” Overall inflation for the Christmas Price Index amounts to 2.7 percent.

Eight maids need a raise

For the twelfth year in a row, the price of eight maids-a-milking has remained constant at 58 U.S. dollars. This is due to the fact that the federal minimum wage in the United States has been 7.25 U.S. dollars since 2009. The source categorizes maids-a-milking as unskilled laborers – meaning it would be appropriate to pay them the federal minimum wage for their troubles. The cost of ten Lords-a-leaping, however, is more than 241 times more expensive.