I would do a separate call to tell them in person how much you appreciate it and how you untend to use it and to say that you felt like you didn’t get a chance to really let them know how appreciated it was on Christmas Day because it was so hectic.
But it depends on the people whether they’d prefer a formal note or a call. I guess you could even do both.

Anonymous wrote:DH and I verbally thanked but would like to show appreciation more for this. Treating to a nice meal isn’t
on the table right now. Would a note be appropriate? Can we maybe take photos of what we used it for and send, or tell them we put it into DS bank account? Was flustered when we got it and was amid kid present craziness. Or even a call later?

Whatever you do, don't meet them in person. All your ideas are wonderful. Why not do it all? Call, write, take a pic. Share your excitement.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Oh good lord. You sit down and handwrite then a thank you note. You do not need to be a genius to know this and you should have been taking theooom to dinner throughout the year.

Who is theoom, and why would you take poor Theoom out to dinner in a pandemic?

Obviously, it was meant to say “them out” not “Theoom”. It is called a typo.

Anonymous wrote:DH and I verbally thanked but would like to show appreciation more for this. Treating to a nice meal isn’t
on the table right now. Would a note be appropriate? Can we maybe take photos of what we used it for and send, or tell them we put it into DS bank account? Was flustered when we got it and was amid kid present craziness. Or even a call later?

You sound like my cheap, neurotic sister-in-law. Why would you buy them a meal ? Just say thank you. It’s $1000, not $100,000

Anonymous wrote:Oh good lord. You sit down and handwrite then a thank you note. You do not need to be a genius to know this and you should have been taking theooom to dinner throughout the year.

See the discussion in last week’s Carolyn Hax chat to get some perspective on why this is not the automatic answer you think it it. Some parents would be offended to receive a formal handwritten thank you note, because in some families that level of formality connotes distance rather than closeness and warmth.

Anonymous wrote:Oh good lord. You sit down and handwrite then a thank you note. You do not need to be a genius to know this and you should have been taking theooom to dinner throughout the year.

Who is theoom, and why would you take poor Theoom out to dinner in a pandemic?

Oh good lord. You sit down and handwrite then a thank you note. You do not need to be a genius to know this and you should have been taking theooom to dinner throughout the year.

Anonymous wrote:^ same, thank you and a hug

uh, no hug.

Handwritten note and include in the note what you plan to spend the money on (which I always do with gifts of money.)

Handwritten note.

^ same, thank you and a hug

Handwritten note.

A nice meal would cost a few hundred dollars or more! If this gift was something out of the ordinary and you can afford it do it. My parents always give me a 4 firgure check and I say thank you! Period..

Is this unusual for them? I usually get a gift like this from my parents and “thank you” is sufficient. Now that I have children, sometimes the money is put into a 529 they established instead. The actual key is to not really look at the number in the card, don’t comment if the number is different from previous years, or say anything at all if there’s no check this year.

Gift money is nice to have, but it should never ever be expected.

DH and I verbally thanked but would like to show appreciation more for this. Treating to a nice meal isn’t
on the table right now. Would a note be appropriate? Can we maybe take photos of what we used it for and send, or tell them we put it into DS bank account? Was flustered when we got it and was amid kid present craziness. Or even a call later?