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It’s that time of the year again. Mariah Carey has been defrosted. “Black Friday” sales seem to last for weeks. Last-minute treks to the gym fail to absolve your guilt over that third slice of pecan pie. Unfortunately, we’ll also have to endure a litany of ill-conceived and poorly executed Christmas songs that are inexplicably resurrected every year, and will likely be until time immemorial. Here are 15 of the absolute worst offenders. Apologies in advance.

Editor’s Note: This article was originally published on November 28, 2011. Need a palate cleanser? Check out a playlist of some of our holiday favorites.

15. Sia, “Puppies Are Forever”

A track from Sia’s 2017 collection of holiday originals, Everyday Is Christmas, “Puppies Are Forever” is a reggae-vibed public service announcement about, well, how puppies are not forever: “They’re so cute and fluffy with shiny coats/But will you love ‘em when they’re old and slow?...

The Motion Picture Academy is embroiled in a minor dustup involving the disqualification of one of the five nominees for Best Original Song because of some shady campaigning. The songwriter of “Alone, Yet Not Alone” is fighting back, and most aggravatingly, “Godless Hollywood” is being blamed for unfairly picking on this plucky underdog of a nominee, which is the theme song to an obscure Christian film that has only played in a few theaters. Why, it’s a regular “David vs. Goliath!”

It doesn’t help the songwriter’s case that the song is terrible, and sounds like an outtake from the Sandi Patti box set.

Of course, this wouldn’t be the first time The Academy nominated terrible songs and left out more deserving fare. In fact, here are a few Best Original Song nominees from the past that should have been disqualified instantly. Not for any impropriety … but because they suck.

Wilmington, N.C. (Rns) The bios of the musicians who make up the band Micah's Rule read like many Christian artists.

Grew up singing in the church. Preacher's son. Then became a preacher. In many bands. Degrees in music and ministry. Recorded some albums. Toured with Christian music legends. Even struggled with their faith along the way.

What their bios don't mention outright might make them one of the rarest recent talents to record in Nashville, Tenn. The three musicians of Micah's Rule are an openly gay man, transgender woman and a lesbian.

But Greg McCaw, Chasity Scott and Mary Anne Hewett don't want their sexuality to define them. They want their music to be the centerpiece of their life and ministry.

"There are many people who are gay in the music industry in Nashville, but they're so far in the closet," McCaw said.

"It's just our back story, plain and simple,...

Today we are talking to a five-time Grammy Award winning recording artist and concert star who is perhaps best known for her nearly forty albums - most in the gospel genre - but who soon will be taking on the titanic title role in a starry regional production of Jerry Hermans classic musical Hello, Dolly - co-starring Tony-winner Gary Beach, no less - the cheery and incredibly talented Sandi Patty. In addition to discussing all aspects of her fantastic new musical theatre-influenced album Broadway Stories - with tunes from The Sound Of Music, The Music Man, Fiddler On The Roof, Les Miz, and the film version of Hello, Dolly, among others - we also discuss her recent concert collaboration with Michael Feinstein and what we can expect from her upcoming dates throughout the rest of 2011. Also, we analyze the performances of some of the great Broadway vocalists - Barbra Streisand,...

The 25-year-old singer saw off competition from artists including Chris Tomlin, TobyMac, Jason Crabb and Natalie Grant to scoop the accolade. Francesca Battistelli also took home Best Female Vocalist and Pop-Contemporary Recorded Song for Beautiful, Beautiful.

Francesca Battistelli was bowled over by her prizes, insisting, "I'm on cloud nine right now. I'm standing here... speechless. This is totally humbling."

Chris August was another big winner - he was crowned New Artist Of The Year and Best Male Vocalist and earned another award for pop-contemporary album, while Jason Crabb and the group Point of Grace also picked up three Doves each.

Gospel legend Sandi Patty was honoured for her lifetime achievements, with singers including Francesca Battistelli, Grant, Audrey Assad and Kerri Robert all taking the stage to cover her hits.

The ceremony, which is due to air in the U.S. on Easter Sunday (24Apr11), was held in Atlanta, Georgia -...