Christmas is a time for giving.. and receiving (and piling up credit card debt). But judging by the '12 days of Christmas', it has never been more expensive to satisfy your true love...

As The New York Times reports, all told, the whimsical splurge will run a little less than 1 percent more than last year, largely because of slow economic growth.  That works out to a grand total of just $34,363.49. 

h/t @Schuldensuehner

This year, there were wide fluctuations in the price of some products, based on the data that PNC gathered from retailers, hatcheries and dance companies.

A Partridge in a Pear Tree

Cost: $210

The true bargain in the gift package, the partridge price fell 20 percent, to $20, as a result of a larger supply of the game birds. Last year, the price soared because the partridge became a popular dish among foodies, but supply apparently met demand.

Adding in the pear tree, which cost $190 — the same price as last year, according to Cinnaminson Nurseries in New Jersey — the grand total for the set is $210, or 2.3 percent less than last year.

Two Turtle Doves

Cost: $375

The costs of two turtle doves, sometimes considered a symbol of true love, are adding up this year. The brace of lovebirds cost $375, or 29.3 percent more than last year, because of a shortage of birds. According to PNC, a turtle dove lays eggs, called clutches, only two or three times a year, and each clutch has only two eggs.

Three French Hens

Cost: $181.50

The brood of imported hens, sometimes called faverolles because the breed was developed in the 1860's near the French villages of Houdan and Faverolles, came in at $181.50, the same price as 2015.

Four Calling Birds

Cost: $599.96

Once called colly birds — an ancient term for blackbirds — they are ringing up at $599.96, the same as last year. Prices for these, and other birds, can swing from year to year.

Five Golden Rings

Cost: $750

CreditShah Marai/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

The price of gold rings held steady for the fourth year in a row. Even though gold commodity prices dipped earlier this year, they later evened out.

(According to some, the reference to five golden rings in the classic carol might have actually been to five ring-necked pheasants — which would be more in keeping with the lineup of birds in the song.)

Six Geese a-Laying

Cost: $360

The gaggle of geese remained at $360, holding steady from last year. Prices of the birds, sometimes associated with Christmas dinner, have varied, according to information PNC gathered from a waterfowl farm.

Seven Swans a-Swimming

Cost: $13,125

The cost for swans has historically been volatile. This year, the wedge of elegant birds had an impressive $13,125 price tag — or $1,875 each — the same as last year. But the price on their heads can be so variable that it skews the index’s outcome in some years.

Eight Maids a-Milking

Cost: $58

With no increase in the federal minimum wage — it’s been the same since 2009 — the eight maids received the same basic compensation as last year. Three decades ago, the maids earned an even more meager $26 for such toil over the holidays (not adjusting for inflation).

Nine Ladies Dancing

Cost: $7,552

As with the farm workers, the price tag for nine ladies dancing was static this year. The group (priced at a rate for professional modern or ballet dancers) was paid $7,552 this year, the same as 2015. Sorry, ballerinas — no raise in 2016.

Ten Lords a-Leaping

Cost: $5,508

Male entertainers did not fare any better than their female counterparts this year. They were consigned to performing their athletic feats for the same price, $5,508, as in 2015. But compensation for their work has increased nearly continuously since 1984, when their performance ran about $1,600.

Eleven Pipers Piping

Cost: $2,708

The cost to have 11 of these lively wind-instrument players rose for the first time since 2013. It is up 2.8 percent from their previous level of $2,635, according to a Philadelphia union for musicians. Their pay began to get a boost in the early 2000's and has risen steadily since then.

Twelve Drummers Drumming

Cost $2,934

To have the dozen drummers at your true love’s doorstep will cost some 2.8 percent more than last year. Compensation for the dozen drummers will be $2,934, their first raise in several years. No calculations were factored in to compensate the neighbors for noise complaints.

The entire PNC index, including a coloring book, is available here.