On the ninth day of Christmas. . .

On the ninth day of Christmas my true love sent to me . . . 

The Ninth Day of Christmas

Nine Grandkids dancing!

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The Eighth Day of Christmas

Eight maids a-cleaning,

.

The Seventh Day of Christmas

Seven EELS a-peeking,
..

The Sixth Day of Christmas.

Six Guineas Preening,

.

The Fifth Day of Christmas

Five canning rings!

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The Fourth Day of Christmas

Four Calling Birds,

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The Third Day of Christmas

Three Fat Sheep,
.

The Second Day of Christmas

Two Spitting Llamas,
.

The first day of Christmas!

… And a Parrot on a Fairrryyyyy!.

New Style, cost of 9 grandkids dancing: $3,996.00

Old (Classic) Style, cost of 9 Ladies Dancing: $1,800.00

• Leotard and Tutu – $25.00
• Girls Tights – $8.00
• Ballet Slippers – $20.00
• Tap Shoes – $35.00

The outfit then comes to a total of $88.00, plus the dance lessons of $356.00 for a year, for a grand total of $444.00 for one grandchild.

But there’s supposed to be NINE grandkids dancing, so 9 x $444 = $3,996.00 total.

I figured you’d go see one recital.  Might see more, but for the purposes of comparison of old and new styles, just one.

So that leaves having the 9 ladies dancing for ONE time.  Well, I searched to see how much it would cost to hire dancers for a party, and I found a group of 3 dancers at Gigmasters for $600.   Multiply that by 3 to get 9 dancers, and it’s $1,800.00 for the 9 ladies dancing.

Total to date:
New Style – $6,645.89
Classic Style – $12,625.74

So while this day’s New Style with the 9 grandkids dancing was more expensive than hiring dancers for one party, the total of the Classic Style is still almost twice what it is for the new way of doing “The Twelve Days of Christmas”.

On the eighth day of Christmas. . .

On the eighth day of Christmas my true love sent to me . . .

Eight Maids A-Cleaning!
.

.

 Seven EELS a-peeking,
..

.

Five canning rings,

.

 Four Calling Birds,

.

Three Fat Sheep,
.

Two Spitting Llamas,
.

… And a Parrot on a Fairrryyyyy!.

New Style, cost of 8 Maids Cleaning: $600.00

Old (Classic) Style, cost of 8 Maids Milking: $2,240.00

This was a little trickier.  For the 8 maids cleaning… let’s say they’re taking turns cleaning my house so it gets done 8 times.  Average price for cleaning a small house around here is $75.00 so $75 x 8 weeks = $600.00 for the 8 maids cleaning. 

As for the maids milking, even harder.  The average salary I saw advertised for a farm worker was between $8-$12, so I said $10.  But how long should they work?  Let’s say like the cleaning maids they take turns working for 8 weeks, and they work 4 hours a day to help with milking and any other chores.  Cows need milked every day, so that 7 x4 = 28 hours a week at $10/hour, making each week $280.00 x 8 weeks = $2,240.00 total.

Total to date:
New Style – $2,649.89
Classic Style – $10,825.74

So once again, the Classic style is more expensive than the new style!

On the seventh day of Christmas. . .

On the seventh day of Christmas my true love sent to me . . .

Seven EELS a-peeking!
.

Six Guineas Preening,

.

Five canning rings,

.

Four calling birds,
.

Three fat sheep,
.

Two spitting llamas,
.

… And a Parrot on a Fairrryyyyy!
.

New Style, cost of 7 EELS: $49.99

Old (Classic) Style, cost of 7 Swans: $7000.00.

Okay, the cost of the eels.  Well, those eels were in the Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies, and I figured your true love would want you to be able to see them all year, right?  So the cost of an annual pass is $49.99 per person.

As for the swans, wow!  Those are expensive!  I found a pair of trumpeter swans at CM Game Bird Farm and Hatchery for $2,000 and thus I figured $1,000 each for 7 swans a swimming.

Today the Classic style is MUCH more expensive than the new style!

Total to date:
New Style – $2049.89
Classic Style – $8,585.74

That puts the cost of the old, or classic style, way ahead of the new now. But how will it all end? Wait and see!

Merry Christmas!

We’re taking a break from our regularly scheduled “days of Christmas” to wish you a very Merry Christmas!

So, from everybody here at the farm:

Pictured top left to right: Baby (African Grey), The Cave Geek, The Farmer, Rural Writer, Keira the llama, and Neffie the Maremma Sheep Dog
Middle: Cinnamon the goat, and Toby the Farm Collie
Bottom: Spot the Cat, our 3 Shetland sheep retired ewes, and a bunch of chickens, guineas & peacocks!

On the sixth day of Christmas . . .

On the sixth day of Christmas my true love sent to me . . .

Six Guineas Preening!

.

Five canning rings,

.

Four calling birds,
.

Three fat sheep,
.

Two spitting llamas,
.

… And a Parrot on a Fairrryyyyy!
.

New Style, cost of 6 Guineas: $28.20

Old (Classic) Style, cost of 6 Geese: $52.74

I got the price of the guineas from Murray McMurray Hatchery. Pearl guinea chicks are $4.70 each for a straight run. (If you’ve never bought chicks before, that just means the chicks haven’t been sexed, so you get whatever they pick up and put in the box!) As I’ve done all along, I haven’t included the price of shipping or taxes on any of this stuff!

I choose White Embden Geese for the Old Style “six geese a-laying”. . .

.
. . . also from Murray McMurray Hatchery. Straight run is $8.79 each.  Of course, both the guineas and the geese are chicks instead of adults, but it’s harder to find prices on adults!

Anyway, for today, the Classic style is more expensive than the new style!

Total to date:
New Style – $1,999.90
Classic Style – $1.585.74

Will the Old Style cost catch up with the New Style? We’ll see!