Yearlong houseguest's welcome is worn out

DEAR AMY My husband and I bought our first home more than a year ago. A friend of my husband's asked if he could stay with us for "a few weeks" while he worked on finding a job. It has been almost a year. His welcome expired very quickly for me, but my husband was more protective of him. The friend acts incredibly ungrateful and has remained unemployed. He stays in his bedroom playing video games most days. Last summer he said he would move out by the end of August. That didn't happen. In October, my husband told him he needed to move out by the end of December. I am afraid my husband will not follow through. The friend already has told him that he will probably just have to live in his car. How can I emphasize to the friend and my husband that this is the last deadline we are setting -- without coming across as insensitive?An Irritated Hostess

DEAR IRRITATED After all this, do you really care about coming across as insensitive? I'd say a little less sensitivity is needed.

Serve your freeloader's morning coffee along with a calendar.

Point out that the month is quickly waning, and tell him that if he has to live in his car, that's a shame -- but that he had better not park it in your driveway.

DEAR AMY I've enjoyed learning the different ways families handle Christmas gift rituals. Our family was allowed to open only our stockings before breakfast on Christmas morning. After breakfast, the actual gift opening began, in rotation from youngest to oldest, with the previous gift recipient choosing the gift for the next person. It was always a lovely time, and the randomness of the gift selection usually meant some treasures were held back until the very end.Random Reindeer

DEAR REINDEER I'm saving these ideas for next year -- and I love this one.