Having a Christmas gathering this year? Eid will cost more this year

Millions of Americans are preparing for Christmas celebrations, and many are planning to spend time with loved ones and cook for the holiday.

Nearly three-quarters of American consumers who celebrate Christmas have plans to get together with family and friends, and 33% of them will bring people, according to Scan the rug. It also found that 61% intend to cook or bake at home during the holiday.

with Christmas is fast approachingMany of those who plan to cook are likely preparing their grocery lists — and pocketbooks — for the occasion. Overall, Christmas and gingerbread, a popular holiday treat, will be more expensive in the United States this year thanks to the popular ingredients seeing year-over-year price increases. Expana reported.

The commodity data provider said main meal prices – measured by the Main Meals Index as part of the Christmas Dinner Index – recorded a 2.3% jump on last year. I looked at turkey, pork, beef, shrimp, lamb, potatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots, and turnips.

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This price rise was “largely driven by higher prices for pork, lamb, shrimp and some vegetables,” according to the Expana report.

All meats tracked by Expana for the Main Meal Index except turkey rose from last year. Cost a 16 lbs frozen turkey It showed a 13.7% decline from last November, to an average of $1.07 per pound.

Prices for a pound of boneless lamb rose 9.2% from 2023, according to Expana. Prices for bone-in hams and ¼-inch bone-in pork butts also rose, with the report finding the former up 8.3% and the latter 3.4%.

Among the vegetables included in the main meal index, sweet potato prices rose the most. By 2.6%. Regular potatoes and turnips saw smaller increases of 1.6% and 1.4%.

Expana pegged the cost of carrots at 58 cents per pound, which represents a 19.2% decline year over year.

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Meanwhile, the report noted a 5.5% rise in the gingerbread index made up of wheat flour, sugar, butter, eggs, ginger and cassia. The jump was largely related to egg and sugar costs.

Commodity Data said its “benchmark price in the Greater Midwest” reached $4.29 per dozen on average in November, up 97.5% compared to the same period last year.

The average price of a dozen large, first-class eggs in U.S. cities was $3,649 as of November, while it was $2,138 a year ago, Bureau of Labor Statistics data found.

Factors including “strong retail demand, Vacation preparationsPersistent inflation, as well as bird flu, have contributed to their rising costs, according to Expana.

It was found that in addition to eggs and sugar, the cost of ginger and cassia spices rose.

However, butter and wheat are becoming less expensive, according to Expana’s measure. Their prices fell by 2.2% and 2%, respectively.

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The Main Meal and Gingerbread Indexes make up Expana’s Christmas Dinner Index. Taking into account changes in the cost of all ingredients from each, Christmas meals and gingerbread together recorded a 2.4% increase from 2023, the report said.

For the winter holidays, consumers will spend $261 on food, candy, decorations and other non-gift items, according to separate data from the National Retail Federation.