Thank y'all for your contributions!

Bobyb, yes, what I meant by my rather inarticulate "special language" was exactly whaat you and others addressed. I want to learn more about Advent, the rituals and language associated with it.

Meanwhile, from the wonderful "How Stuff Works" site (Max, want to add this to your valuable references link or is it off the mark?), here are the answers to questions on "How Christmas works" -- including "Why do I keep hearing the same songs over and over again?":

http://www.howstuffworks.com/christmas.htm