Paper localizes the Twelve Days of Christmas list

In a recession, the thought of Christmas shopping may produce more anxiety, but that shouldn't keep reporters from doing holiday features, and may be all the more reason to do them. One of the oldest is the cost of the items in "The Twelve Days of Christmas," but if localized it can be a fresh story.

The Lebanon Democrat reminded its readers that Wilson County, Tennessee, can provide everything they need to make the 12 days perfect, and for a whole eight-tenths of 1 percent less than the cost calculated in 2007. J.R. Lind reports for that the gifts would cost the recipient's chivalrous (or excessively desperate) "true love" $64,376.18 if bought locally.

Among the more expensive gifts are 12 partridges in a pear tree (one per day), which run a full $11 more in 2008 than 2007. Two turtle doves for 11 days straight cost $220 more this year, as well as the four calling birds, which run $1 more per bird this year. But on the third, fifth and sixth days of Christmas "True Love" can save a small bundle. Lind reports that Publix in Lebanon is selling 30 French hens for $300 less than in 2007, and golden rings are down by $19, saving $760. Finding six geese a-laying is particularly troublesome for True Love, who could easily just poach 42 wild geese, Lind writes, but "poaching wild geese is not really in the spirit of the holidays and we wouldn't want True Love to end up in the Criminal Justice Center his sales tax dollars are funding." Even after paying $1,255.80 for them at the Kroger in Lebanon, he saves more than $200.

In the latter days of the celebration, seven swans a-swimming become the biggest purchase of them all, setting True Love back $42,000 for 42 electric swan light-ups. (Guess Lind couldn't find any other type of swan in the county, just east of Nashville.) Eight maids a-milking all earn minimum wage, which increased this year to $6.55, so True Love uses $2,096 there, but as Lind writes, "Explaining to his girlfriend why he hired eight women to milk cows in the living room for five days is True Love's problem." Nine ladies dancing, ten lords a-leaping (substitute county commissioners here), eleven pipers piping and the final twelve drummers drumming equal a cool $13,360. Read the details here.