Leaving cookies and milk for Santa now costs $8.44, marking a 31% increase from $6.42 in 2020, according to FinanceBuzz analysis of government data. The jump outpaces the 25% national inflation rate during the same period. Egg prices drove most of the increase, surging 136% since 2020 with wild price swings hitting 187% in 2022 and 180% in 2024. The biggest price jump occurred between 2021 and 2022, when cookie ingredients climbed 32% while overall inflation rose just 6.5%. Butter remains the most expensive ingredient per batch at $2.99, while milk was the only item rising slower than overall inflation at 17%. Other ingredients showed mixed results: sugar and butter both increased 35%, salt jumped 73%, and flour matched national inflation at 25%. The analysis included standard cookie ingredients plus milk and carrots for reindeer. (Story URL)
