20 Dec, 2007
PITTSBURGH (AP) -- While the origins of the Christmas carol "The Twelve Days of Christmas" may be a mystery, one thing is certain: It's getting more costly to buy your true love all the items mentioned.
It would cost $78,100 to buy the 364 items, from a single partridge in a pear tree to the 12 drummers drumming, repeatedly on each day as the song suggests, according to the annual PNC Christmas Price Index compiled by PNC Wealth Management. The cost is up 4 percent from $75,122 last year.
Buying each item in the song just once would cost $19,507, up 3.1 percent from last year's $18,921. And shopping online would be costlier, with the total for the 364 items costing $128,886, up 2.5 percent from last year's $125,767. You would spend $31,249 online for each item just once this year.
Helping push the cost up this year is the minimum wage hike, which bumped the cost of eight maids a-milking from about $41 to nearly $47.
Higher food costs pushed the six geese a-laying from $300 to $360. And reflecting higher gold prices, those five gold rings will cost $395, up 21.5 percent from last year's $325.
story courtesy cnn.com, 11/28/07 & picture courtesy images.google.com
Still shopping for that perfect gift?
2 Corinthians 9:15
15 Thanks be to God for his inexpressible gift! (ESV)
In today's God's Story scripture, how does Paul describe the perfect Christmas gift?
That's simple. God's Son is a gift that is "inexpressible". In other words- a gift too wonderful for words! If you go study this verse in the original Greek language, Paul's description of God's gift is "indescribable".
I think one reason for the fact that Jesus is too wonderful for us to put into words is that our limited human brains can not understand what the original Christmas gift really cost the Almighty, Holy, Loving God. He gave up His only Son to die for us who deserve nothing less than eternal death, apart from God.
So as we get into the final rush to find just the right gifts for others, take time to worship God for providing you the ultimate priceless gift, at just the right time.
How can we connect today's God's Story scripture to our lives?
- Take a couple of minutes to prayerfully reflect on God's inexpressible gift of Jesus Christ....thank God....ask His Spirit to give you some words to express your grateful heart to our loving Heavenly Father. Ask Jesus to help you keep your focus on Him as you get into the business of the Christmas season.
- Memorize today's verse as a reminder of "the reason for the season".
- Pray every day that Christ will be your focus rather than all the Christmas cliches like the one above.
- Whenever you hear the song "12 Days Of Christmas", remember the cost of God's gift of salvation to you through Jesus Christ.
How can you connect today's story, God's Story scripture and your story to others?
- When you get into conversations with others about how much it costs to buy Christmas gifts, talk about the cost of everything in "the 12 days of Christmas". Follow Jesus' lead on whether this is the right time to share more of your story - how you have received God's perfect gift.
- During the days of Christmas, pray every day for a different friend or family member who needs Jesus. Ask Jesus to show you opportunities during the holidays to learn more of their stories.
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