Released in the U.S. on this day in 1971, Happy Xmas (War Is Over) is a Christmas song by John & Yoko (The Plastic Ono Band). It was the seventh single released by Lennon outside his work with The Beatles. The song was the culmination of more than two years of peace activism for John & Yoko that began with the Bed-Ins in March and May 1969, the first of which took place during their honeymoon. The song's direct antecedent was an international multimedia campaign launched by the couple in December 1969 – at the height of the counterculture movement and its protests against America's involvement in the Vietnam war hat primarily consisted of renting billboard space in 12 major cities around the world for the display of black-and-white posters that declared "WAR IS OVER! If You Want It – Happy Christmas from John & Yoko"