If you are struggling to think of a unique Christmas present for the true love who has everything and a bargain would be a bonus then look no further than ‘two turtle doves’. At least that’s what the 2014 PNC Wealth Management Christmas Price Index would suggest.

In their tongue in cheek economic analysis of the cost of the gifts in the Christmas classic “The Twelve Days of Christmas”, the price of this feathered offering is 10% down on last year – however you do need to purchase them on the internet to get the best price. I’m not sure on whether they would still be cooing quite so happily after the delivery driver has thrown them over the fence though!

If you are feeling flash with your cash (after having invested wisely this year) then the most extravagant present you should consider is ‘nine ladies dancing’. A single performance would set you back in the region of £4,721, but if ‘feathered’ birds are more your thing then ‘seven swans-a-swimming’ comes in with an equally showy price tag of £4,375.

The one to avoid this year is certainly the ‘six geese-a-laying’, with a massive 71% rise if you buy through the traditional route. I’m not really sure what the ‘traditional’ route for buying geese is, as there are certainly no live ones featured on the ad breaks on TV at the moment, but you can Google anything these days, it seems.

If we look at the complete cost of all the 364 gifted by the true love who repeats all of the song’s verses (yawn!!), then all in all it’s looking pretty good. It’s just £175 up on last year – or 1% – which is the smallest increase since 2002 when the index actually fell 7.6 percent.

Still a pretty hefty price tag though of £72,671, and you may be required to feed the drummers, lords, pipers, dancers and maids, and the cost of bird feed will soon mount up if you decide to keep them all rather than eat them!

I suggest you just keep it simple – as I say every year – socks are far more practical…

For further details on the lighthearted economic analysis compiled by US based PNC Wealth Management check out the CPI website.