Happy Xmas! War is Over
- McKenna Ryan
- Dec 21, 2021
- 3 min read
Updated: Dec 22, 2021
On the morning of December 15, 1969, people in major cities all over the world looked through their windows to be met with visions of stark white billboards and bold black lettering: War is Over! After fourteen years of violent conflict in Vietnam, peace could reign - that is, if they wanted it. Happy Christmas, Love John & Yoko.
These billboards, featuring the ‘War is Over! If you want it’ slogan, appeared in twelve major cities across the globe - New York, Los Angeles, Toronto, Rome, Athens, Amsterdam, Berlin, Paris, London, Tokyo, Hong Kong, and Helsinki. It was none other than John Lennon and Yoko Ono who had devised the campaign as a part of their ongoing promotion of peace. Somehow, they propagated their message across the world and let no one know it was coming. When asked about the cost, which I can only assume to be astronomical, Lennon replied that he didn’t know, but it wasn’t worth more than a human life. The phrase, not to be used in their Christmas record for two more years, had appeared in songs like “The War is Over” by Phil Ochs and “The Unknown Soldier” by The Doors.
The idea of spreading peace through a poster came from Yoko, an avant-garde artist in her own right. If this was how shoes, cars, or perfumes had been sold, then peace could be, too. They worked with John Kosh, who had photographed their “bed-ins” and created several Beatles’ album covers, to create the perfect poster. The goal was to create something unignorable, something that made people want to look twice. They mimicked the design of pre-World War I recruitment posters, hoping to achieve this. Lennon and Ono wanted to show the world that the power was with the people, that if they wanted peace, they could achieve it. Not only did they utilize the power of the poster, they also took advantage of newspaper and radio advertisements.
The campaign, while unable to put an end to the war, was a success. It sparked the beginnings of an anti-war movement, as well as provided a sense of comfort to the people. These billboards, while simple, brought a temporary sense of relief for the Christmas season to those with loved ones in the war and served as a reminder that one day, it would end. They gave people a sense of hope for a better future and instilled the idea that the people wield the power for peace. The campaign did exactly as Lennon and Yoko intended. It told the people that they have the power to choose what kind of world they want to live in.
This wasn’t the first time that the couple pushed their ideas of peace through unconventional ways, however. Their bed-ins were rather famous - they would spent days laying in bed to promote peace, surrounded by an array of flowers and posters as they sang “Give peace a chance.” With their long hair and message of love, they certainly made a statement.
Although many years have passed and the Vietnam war is long over, the campaign continues on. After John’s unfortunate passing in 1980, Yoko has continued to push the message each year. The posters are now available for download so anyone can make a statement just like John and Yoko did. Although they weren’t able to put an end to the war, they brought comfort to the people and provided hope during a trying time. Their efforts pushed people to realize that the power was in their hands - possibly the best Christmas gift they could give.
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