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You can find loads of great vintage tins online - try eBay, for instance, for all sorts of kitchenalia - or your local thrift store: at this time of year they can use all the support they can get and every cent counts.

3. Flavored oils. You'll need to let these infuse for 2 to 3 weeks before they develop their full flavor, so start now for Christmas! To get you started you need to buy a gallon of the best virgin olive oil you can afford. This is the one ingredient where it does not pay to be cheap: quality oil is the secret for the best possible results. Depending what you have at hand for flavoring, split the oil in 2 or 3 batches. Here are some of my favorites: rosemary oil, garlic oil and chili oil. For these you will need fresh rosemary, fresh garlic and dried chilis (de arbol work particularly well). You can also add a few pepper corns to the rosemary and garlic versions, or various other cooking herbs, dried or fresh. Last year I experimented with chilis: I wanted a flavored oil to drizzle on top of pizzas, to give them a bit more depth. I used a handful of dried de arbol chilis and a few sprigs of oregano that I let marinate for a month before using on shop-bought pizzas. It tasted great! Even the most uninspiring frozen pizza can be livened up with a few drops. In Italy chili oil is an institution and no mamma would be caught out without a bottle on her table when she serves pizza. Once the oils have infused, pour into various glass bottles, closed with corks. These oils are fabulous drizzled on salads or used in stir-fries.

4. Holidays Scent in A Bag. This is one idea that requires absolutely no skills, and very little time. You can prepare those little bags quite simply. You will need a few ingredients to bring the smell of the holidays alive. For each bag I use half a dozen cloves, a cinnamon stick, dried orange peel (lemons, satsumas and tangerines also work well), one slice of dried orange and a big spoonful of dried apple. You can dry citrus fruit slices and peel in a low-heat oven for a couple of hours, or buy them already dry. You will also need empty muslin tea bags, or even small ziploc bags, to put the ingredients in. I find the tea bags easier to deal with, as the idea is to use the contents as a "tea". The instructions that you will want to add to the package are simple: place tea bag (or empty contents) in a recipient containing a pint of boiling water. Leave to infuse for as long as you want the dreamy smell in your home, and reheat if you want to prolong. Just make sure to add a label with the instructions and stating that this tea is for fragrancing the home, not to drink, even though it smells so good you will want to eat it!

I hope you will find these ideas useful and inspiring. 3 weeks before Christmas is my favorite time as this is when I start getting everything ready for the holidays. This year as money is tight it will not only be my secret pleasure but also a very useful way to help me manage our holidays finances. I hope you all have a wonderful holiday season, and that you and yours enjoy the celebrations. Happy Holidays!

Learn more about this author, Sophie Coolbaugh.
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