Holiday Song History: ’12 Days of Christmas’

• Song - 12 Days of Christmas
• Year - 1780
• Written By - Traditional with additions by Frederic Austin

Other Random Facts

• The song was originally published in 1780 in England without music. It was written as a chant or rhyme.
• The standard tune we all know now is derived from a 1909 arrangement of a traditional folk melody by English composer Frederic Austin.
• Austin is the one who introduced the elongated "5 golden rings" to the song.
• The origins of the game are unknown, but it's likely that it was a game to test children's memory, and if you forget a line, you forfeit and bow out.
• Since 1984, the cumulative cost of all the gifts has been has been used as a tongue-in cheek economic indicator.
  • Assuming that all the gifts are given each day after its original day, there would be a total of 364 gifts.
  • PNC Bank began the custom of calculating the cost of all the gifts.
  • Two pricing charts are created. 'The Christmas Price Index' and 'The True Cost of Christmas.'
• Back in 1984:
  • The Christmas Price Index - $12,623.10
  • The True Cost of Christmas - $61,318.94
• For 2017:
  • The Christmas Price Index - $34,558.65
  • The True Cost of Christmas - $157,558.00