Dear Eric: I have been sharing Thanksgiving with dear friends for decades. About three years ago, they learned a friend of mine, with whom they are acquainted, had no plans for the day. So, she has been invited and now attends annually.

These are kind and generous friends, so they offer their guests the opportunity to take home doggie bags. My friend is first in line and often takes enough for two to three people, regardless of the amount of food remaining and the number of people there.

She then freezes the bounty since she will be gone (her family does Thanksgiving the weekend after).

My hosting friends are too nice to say anything to her. She is financially stable so it’s not that she isn’t sure where her next meal is coming from. Also, the hosts provide the entire meal, so she brings nothing to the mix. Although tone-deaf, my friend is extremely sensitive, so I am reluctant to say anything. Do you have any advice? Do I just accept that this is how my friend is (she has taken advantage of other situations in the past) or say something?

– Embarrassed Friend

Dear Friend: Some might call this greedy; some might call it prudent. Some might say it’s a metaphor for the ills of society. But if the hosts don’t have a problem with it, neither should you.

I understand the feeling of secondhand embarrassment, since she’s someone that you know better than them. So, you may want to ask them if her habit with the leftovers is something they’ve noticed or are bothered by. But, as the hosts, they’re setting the table and the parameters. They’re not asking anyone to bring anything and they’re encouraging their guests to take food home. If they wanted to set a limit on the number or size of doggie bags, they could.

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Send questions to R. Eric Thomas at [email protected] or P.O. Box 22474, Philadelphia, PA 19110. Follow him on Instagram and sign up for his weekly newsletter at rericthomas.com.