Christmas veg advice

Hello, 

I have big plans to dig a veg patch in my garden next year, but cant do it t the moment, not least because the site is currently full of perennials. However, in the mean time, I as wondering if I could grow some veg in pots for Christmas (large family get together at our house and I thought it would be a nice touch). 

Ideally these would be patio planters, and I have seen some for potatoes. But I wanted to know whether anybody has any advice regarding a good system/product, when I should do this, and most importantly, can they sit outside until Christmas or do I have to bring them inside (I dont have a green house, so it would be inside the house or garage). 

If anybody has grown their own veg either in pots or a small space for around the Christmas period, I would be grateful for advice please.

PS. I live in a rural part of the central belt in Scotland so we are likely to have some snow on the ground by the end of the year. 

Many thanks!