We've had lots of "casual" conversations with the under-18 brood about what's on their Christmas wish lists, with varying degrees of success.

But as is always the case when you're trying a little subterfuge to learn what the kids are hoping to find in their stockings on Christmas morning, it does make you ponder what really matters about this time of the year.

And with apologies to my youngest two, Christmas isn't about mermaid Barbies or Star Wars Lego or the line-up of movies for a Yuletide binge session that was being plotted on the school run this morning.

Everyone has their own idea of what's important at Christmas. For Christians, the significance of the season is obvious, but for others the Yuletide period can mean many things.

There are still enough small people in my house to make Santa Claus a major player, but when I think about it, Christmas to me has always been about family.

This year, we've had a few significant health hurdles in my family, so coming into Christmas, it really is just a joy to know everyone made it through and will be able to toast the end of another year together.

Indeed, not only have we still got all the players from last Christmas, but we've added to our ranks this year and the prospect of starting new family traditions is delightful.

But in recognising how important my own family is to me, I remember that Christmas isn't a happy time of year for everyone.

Not everyone has a family they are able to celebrate with, for one of a myriad of reasons. Not everyone will be in good health and too many people don't have a permanent home.

Depending on which statistics you use, there are currently about 120,000 homeless people in Australia and about 16,000 of them are children under the age of 12.

As the cost of living rises and the job market changes, it's hard to imagine this figure improving any time soon.

I read this week that a new report by the Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute shows that older Australians are increasingly experiencing financial and housing insecurity and the demand for homeless services for this age group is rapidly growing.

Professor Andrew Beer, one of the report's co-authors, said in one interview that there are too many Australians who are just one or two missed pay cheques away from being made homeless.

"There's one particular chap we interviewed ... who worked through his life. Then in his 50s his wife left him. He lost the house through the divorce, and then he lost his job," Professor Beer said.

"And before he knew it, even though he continued in part-time employment, he was living in a boarding house that was a pretty scary space."

According to Mission Australia, only about 7 per cent of people who are homeless are sleeping rough. The rest are hidden away.

The reality is that the majority of homeless people in Australia are families and children living without a permanent home. These people couch surf with friends and relatives, stay in overcrowded rooms or cheap motels, move between emergency shelters and hostels, and sleep in cars and make-shift dwellings. From one night to the next, they don't know where they will sleep, Mission Australia says.

As individuals, we cannot solve homelessness in this country, but we can make a contribution.

We can lobby our politicians to consider a rise in Centrelink benefits and to make sure we have well-resourced health, mental health and jobs training sectors.

When we shop, we can support local businesses and look for locally made goods to make sure the Australian manufacturing and retail sectors remain viable.

But mostly, we can support the charities that are already doing amazing work in helping people to pick up the pieces and rebuild their lives.

Perhaps the one thing we could all put on our wish lists for one other this Christmas is hope. The festive period has been dubbed the "season of perpetual hope" and it would be lovely to think that for all people, there is the promise of more in 2020.