What are the 12 Days of Christmas?
If you’re referring to the famous Christmas song, they’re 12 different extravagant gifts. Leading up to Christmas, an unnamed “true love” gives you a gift everyday leading up to Christmas Eve. Some gifts (five golden rings) are more desirable than others (geese-a-laying). The song has been around since 1780, so the gifts are a bit outdated. Even for 1780, some are downright ridiculous (who really needs lords who are leaping?).
There have been multiple articles, including one from USA Today, that give an estimate on how much this would actually cost. USA Today estimated around 100k. However, we wanted to put our own spin on it, and to our surprise- USA Today was wrong. Depending on how literal and creative you are, the 12 Days of Christmas can be yours for at least $7,000.
That’s still a lot of money. Luckily, Queensboro is offering our own 12 Days of Christmas Deals, which we promise, are far more affordable. Here’s our breakdown of the actual cost of the popular 12 Days of Christmas gifts, as well as our very own exclusive 12 Day of Xmas offers. You could even win some of our Queensboro items on our Facebook page. Enjoy!
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First Day of Christmas- A Partridge in a Pear Tree
A Partridge
On the first day of Christmas, the true love got his or her partner a Partridge in a Pear Tree. We’re pretty sure these are sold separately. According to Bird Trader, partridges don’t like to fly, eat insects and seeds, and are actually quite common. EFowl.com sells them, so you can buy a partridge for $3.49 a piece. If you buy in bulk, you get a discount. They’re sold out for 2012, but hey, there’s always next year.
Bartlett Pear Tree
As for the pear tree, you can buy them seasonally at Lowe’s or Home Depot. We found pear trees you can buy online at ArborDay.org. Depending on the tree, you’re looking anywhere between $16-$20, plus shipping. Not bad, but we’re concerned about the logistics of getting the partridge to actually sit in the pear tree. That part is all you.
Queensboro’s First Day of Christmas – Eddie Bauer Packable Jacket
If you’re not feeling adventurous, you can take advantage of our first day of Christmas promo. We’re offering our Eddie Bauer Packable Jacket for just $34.95— an average savings of about 58%. This lightweight, water repellent jacket is ideal for hiking, running or layering with a sweatshirt. Win one for free by commenting on the “On the first day of Christmas,” post via our FB page.
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Second Day of Christmas- Two Turtle Doves
Turtle Dove
Our first thought? Where is anyone going to get a turtle dove? Second thought: more birds? Really? However, if you look at the meaning of the turtle dove, the gift makes sense. Or as much sense as it’s going to. In popular culture, the turtle dove is a symbol of friendship and eternal love. You may or may not have learned that from Home Alone 2.
Kind of creepy, kind of sweet bird lady that gives the turtle dove ornament to Kevin.
We were surprised, but yes, you can purchase turtle doves. Since the song doesn’t specify, you can choose from European, Lace Neck, Dwarf or Madagascar turtle doves. The most affordable option on Stromberg’s Chickens are the Madagascar Turtle Doves, which go for $75 a piece. That’s a total of $150– but remember, you have to buy two of them. Before you think that’s do-able, consider the cage, food, and any other cost of upkeep. One more thing– since turtle doves squabble with each other, you have to keep the two separate.
Sounds complicated.
Queensboro’s Second Day of Christmas – OGIO Big Dome Duffel Bag
For our second day of Christmas, we left birds out of the equation. We’re offering our OGIO Big Dome Duffel Bag for only $29.95- a savings of 51%. You can win this on Facebook too. Just head over to our FB page and comment on the second day of Christmas post. Tell us what you’d use this bag for!
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Third Day of Christmas – Three French Hens
Poulet de Bresse
Sigh. Yes, more birds. This time, there’s three of them. In the early days of the song, it was probably helpful to receive birds as gifts. Birds were used in hunting, message delivery, and of course, for laying eggs and eating. Nowadays, we can just run to the food store to pick up a carton of eggs. Bird gifts aren’t really popular now.
Unless you’re referring to the Poulet de Bresse. These infamous french chickens are highly sought after by culinary gurus everywhere for their flavor and texture. Known for their blue feet, these birds are extremely limited in and out of France. The actual acquisition and care for a live, authentic french chicken is way too complex for a Queensboro article. You can read about it here. But yes, you can buy three french hens, or as close as you can get. Prices range from $50-$100 for an unsexed chick. We won’t lie – it’s going to cost you at least $300 to make this happen.
Queensboro’s Third Day of Christmas – Unannounced as of 12/14
Check back on Saturday, Dec. 15th to access this deal. You can still get the same pricing for the first two days of Christmas. The Eddie Bauer Packable Jacket, as well as the OGIO Duffel Bag promos will remain active through all twelve days. Whatever it is, it’s gotta be less complicated than getting birds.
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Fourth Day of Christmas – Four Colly Birds
Colly Bird
Yup, it’s colly birds, not calling birds. So you can’t reuse the six birds you’ve already purchased for your true love. Colly birds are actually European Blackbirds. They’re common so yes, this is feasible. We couldn’t locate any pricing online, but if you wanna hop a plane to Europe to catch some, you might be able to do that. We don’t encourage it.
Queensboro’s Fourth Day of Christmas – Unannounced as of 12/14
Check back on Sunday, Dec. 16th to access this deal. You can still get the same pricing for the first three days of Christmas. All of the promos will remain active through all twelve days.
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Fifth Day of Christmas – Five Golden Rings
Gollum would love five of these.
Now we’re talking. Out of all the 12 Days of Christmas gifts, this is probably the most realistic. The good news, you can get gold rings anywhere. The song isn’t too specific, so a basic gold ring (around $50) would do. You’re still looking at about $250 to get five golden rings, but at least your loved one can trade them in for something else. Unless you’re buying for Sméagol, aka Gollum, from Lord of the Rings, who would probably love five golden rings.
Queensboro’s Fifth Day of Christmas – Unannounced as of 12/14
Check back on Monday, Dec. 17th to access this deal. You can still get the same pricing for the first four days of Christmas. All of the promos will remain active through all twelve days.
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Sixth Day of Christmas – Six Geese a Layin’
Six Plus Geese
Yup, we’re back to birds. Geese are easier to come by than some of the other birds we’ve covered. However, reference the song- they gotta be a layin’. That means full grown geese. Lucky for you, some geese are available for adoption from animal shelters. Owners sell geese a few at a time. Price can range anywhere from free to a few hundred dollars, according to Pets Oodle.
Queensboro’s Sixth Day of Christmas – Unannounced as of 12/14
Check back on Tuesday, Dec. 18th to access this deal. You can still get the same pricing for the first five days of Christmas. All of the promos will remain active through all twelve days.
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Seventh Day of Christmas – Seven Swans a Swimmin’
This might get messy.
This is going to be expensive. Not only do you need seven swans, but they need to be swimming, (We’re getting pretty literal with this). Swans aren’t exactly rare, but they’re costly. We found various types of swans starting at about $420 each. That’s $2,940 at LEAST, and we haven’t even added in the cost for some kind of swan swimming facility. We referenced an article on Landscapers Networx which estimated at least $3,000 to install a small pond in your yard. We’ll round that up to about 6k for the seven swans a swimmin’. Good luck with that.
Queensboro’s Seventh Day of Christmas – Unannounced as of 12/14
Check back on Wednesday, Dec. 19th to access this deal. You can still get the same pricing for the first six days of Christmas. All of the promos will remain active through all twelve days.
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Eighth Day of Christmas – Eight Maids A Milkin
Got milk?
Back on the farm, yes, having multiple milkmaids may have be helpful. Today, this career field is pretty non-existent. However, in areas that have a lot of farms, you can get an idea of how much a modern day milkmaid is paid. We got as specific as a farm hand, which according to a job posting on the South Dakota Labor and Regulation page, can make at least $10 an hour. So one hour, eight milk maids- that’s about $80. Not bad.
Queensboro’s Eighth Day of Christmas – Unannounced as of 12/14
Check back on Thursday, Dec. 20th to access this deal. You can still get the same pricing for the first seven days of Christmas. All of the promos will remain active through all twelve days.
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Ninth Day of Christmas – Nine Ladies Dancin’
Nine Ladies Dancing
This is where you have to get creative. Are the ladies for hire, or do we need to own them? Let’s assume it’s just nine ladies dancing. You could probably just bring your loved one to a Broadway musical with a lot of ladies dancing, like the Rockettes or Mamma Mia. For Mamma Mia, tickets start at just $50 a piece (that’s probably for the nosebleed seats).
Queensboro’s Ninth Day of Christmas – Unannounced as of 12/14
Check back on Friday, Dec. 21st to access this deal. You can still get the same pricing for the first eight days of Christmas. All of the promos will remain active through all twelve days.
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Tenth Day of Christmas – Ten Lords a Leapin’
Lords a leaping- out of planes.
This one sounds tricky, but lucky for you, the creative minds at Queensboro are using our imaginations. Ten lords, (or ok, men) leaping? You could take the Broadway approach and head out to Jersey Boys, or instead, head over to our neighbors at Fort Bragg, NC. Fort Bragg is the home of the 82nd Airborne, and according to Wikipedia, about 39,457 soldiers. Check the Fort Bragg jump schedule, and watch from afar as over ten men are leaping— out of airplanes.
Queensboro’s Tenth Day of Christmas – Unannounced as of 12/14
Check back on Saturday, Dec. 22nd to access this deal. You can still get the same pricing for the first nine days of Christmas. All of the promos will remain active through all twelve days.
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Eleventh Day of Christmas – Eleven Pipers Piping
Pipers Piping?
You could assemble eleven pipers piping if you want. Or, by using one of our creative shortcuts, just buy a CD or download some pipe music. We came across Highland Pipes and Drums, which features Ian MacGregor and the Scottish Pipe Band. The CD is around $15-$20. Hey- there’s no specification that says it needs to be live. Sneaky!
Queensboro’s Eleventh Day of Christmas – Unannounced as of 12/14
Check back on Sunday, Dec. 23rd to access this deal. You can still get the same pricing for the first ten days of Christmas. All of the promos will remain active through all twelve days.
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Twelfth Day of Christmas – Twelve Drummers Drumming
Drummers drumming.
In the interest of being creative and non-repetitive, we found a unique solution to the last of the 12 Days of Christmas. You could check out a holiday show, (there’s got to be some featuring drummers drumming), or a local school band concert. However, if you’re looking for something a little more gift-worthy, consider these retro wind up toys. Iggo.com sells them for about $17 a piece ($200+), so while it’s a little costly, it’s really cute.
Queensboro’s Twelfth Day of Christmas – Unannounced as of 12/14
Check back on Christmas Eve to access this deal. We’ll also be announcing the winners of our Facebook giveaways! You can still get the same pricing for the first eleven days of Christmas. All of the promos will remain active through all twelve days.
What do you think of our very literal, yet creative, interpretation of the 12 Days of Christmas?
Send us a tweet over @QueensboroShirt.
