The Christmas season for many of us brings up memories of stockings, gift giving, meals with family friends and of course, carols. One of the most beloved Christmas carols is The Twelve Days of Christmas carol. To keep the tradition alive PNC Bank have created the ultimate Christmas Price Index for your modern day partridge in a pear tree needs. Did you know that if you go by the strict rules of The Twelve Days of Christmas, buying the 78 traditional gifts you need will cost you $27,393? If you complete the set repeated in the entire song, you would need at least $114,651 in your wallet!
To make it a little bit easier this Christmas (on you and your wallet) we’ve rounded up a list of less expensive gift suggestions to give to your family and friends this Christmas season. No real geese-a-laying or leaping lords this time. Just stylish, modern or nifty gifts inspired by the popular Christmas carol.
A partridge in a pear tree
If giving a Partridge Parade wall art from United Artworks might be a little beyond your budget, why not seek inspiration from the fruit instead. Give the gift of spicy pear scent with Laura Ashley’s scented candle or fruity scents captured in a pear sculpted candle by Michael Aram. If you’re looking for something a little more quirky, try the pear time wall clock from Cate Legnoverde.
Turtle doves
White turtle doves are representative of Christmas peace. Invoke their sense of peace within your loved ones through a beautiful dove motif item for the home. Find inspiration in the clever and functional dove door stopper from Qualy, or the Christmas table appropriate sparkly dove napkin ring set from Juliska.
French hens
A mug is always seen as somewhat of a clichéd gift. However, in keeping with the traditional theme it would be wrong to bypass the Maran Hen mug by Emma Bridgewater. The Maran hen originated in France and was used in many a medieval Christmas feast. If the French fowl isn’t for you, a set of ceramic egg cups painted with a hen design from Emma Bridegwater will do the trick. Real hens or not, these kitchen ware items are guaranteed to quirk up memories of the Twelve Days of Christmas carol.
Calling birds
Calling birds, believe it or not, aren’t real. The original Christmas carol spoke of four collie birds. For those of you who don’t come from medieval England, the word collie meant black like coal. To this day, the four calling birds in the song refer to blackbirds. Find inspiration for a blackbird themed gift with the ceramic black bird pie funnel from John Lewis, or this set of blackbird coasters from Amalfi.
Gold rings
Why not give gold this season? Although inexpensive, a golden napkin ring set made out of mother of pearl from Table Tops in a Box, or a Biba bulb vase with gold rim details still make really fancy gifts.
Geese-a-laying
You might think that a pillow might be a little bit of an odd gift to give for Christmas. But when that pillow is stuffed with real goose feathers like the Siberian goose feather pillow from John Lewis, you’ll see the wisdom. For friends and family members that a more gourmet chef than avid snoozer, gift a Le Creuset goose cooking pot instead.
Swans-a-swimming
Swans, especially white swans, are associated with elegance and refinement. So for someone with exquisite taste, gift a porcelain and gold swan salt cellar by L’Objet, or a swan inspired swan necked karafe by Krosno. For those with a more quirky taste, gift a swan shaped watering can by Qualy.
Maids-a-milking
Christmas morning always dawns bright and early (especially for those of you with young children). To ensure your family and friends are up and ready for Christmas activities gift them with kitchen gadgets that will put a pep in their step. Items like Aerolatte’s milk frother, Bodum’s latte milk frother, and Bloomingville’s glass milk jug are essentials for making those early morning coffees.
Ladies dancing
Give the gift of dancing this season through art or music. For those with an artistic bent, gift a replica of the famous Edgar Degas print the Green Dancers from artrepublic. For music lovers you can’t go wrong with a musical jewellery box from Forzieri complete with a tableau of the Dance at Bougival.
Lords-a-leaping
Given that leaping lords are hard to come by these days, it might be best to find a substitute lord. For those animal lovers out there, a reminder of the lord of their home wouldn’t be amiss. Find furry inspiration with this cat lord printed cushion by Adorabella.
Pipers piping
Find a perfect present for a pipe smoker or a pipe aficionado with this leather pipe holder from Pelletterie Fiorentine or this quirky pipe match holder from Jonathan Adler.
Drummers drumming
To save you from the incredible amount of noise that comes from an actual drum set, these perfect ideas for Christmas take inspiration from the drum only. A shabby chic home will thank you for the gift of a paper drum lampshade from Habitat or these unique upcycled drum stools from Atelier Furniture.
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