Lords, Ladies Jack Up Cost of '12 Days of Christmas'

Well, you really should have bought all the gifts from the "12 Days of Christmas" song last year, because this year they'll set you back $114,651—a 6.9% increase from 2012's $107,300. You can blame the price jump on the nine ladies dancing and 10 lords a-leaping: Their cost increased 20% and 10%, respectively, to $7,553 and $5,243, while most of the items on the list saw modest changes, or no price hike at all.

Those long on Christmas spirit and short on cash can buy just one set of each type of gift for $27,393, rather than all 364 items mentioned and repeated throughout the carol. And stay away from Internet shopping, as the 364 items will cost you $173,000 there. The least expensive gifts: maids a-milking, which cost $7.25 each or $58 for all eight, since the federal minimum wage hasn't increased in the past year. The most expensive: swans, at $1,000 per head. Click for a breakdown of the costs. (More Christmas stories.)