Speaking to the BBC on December 9, 2023 to commemorate the song's 50th anniversary, he said the band was inspired to release a Christmas song after John Lennon and Yoko Ono's single "Happy Xmas 'Happy Xmas (War Is Over)': So This Is Christmas, With John And Yoko 'Happy Xmas (War Is Over)' became and remains a cast-iron Yuletide favorite, written by John on acoustic guitar in the So This Is Christmas lyrics: So this is Christmas And what have you done? Another year over And a new one just begun And so this is Christmas I hope you have fun The near and the dear one The old and the young A very m And so this is Christmas. I hope you have fun, the near and the dear ones, the old and the young. A very merry Christmas and a happy new year. Let's hope it's a good one without any fear. And so this is Christmas for weak and for strong, for rich and the poor ones. The road is so long. And so happy Christmas for black and for white, for yellow wAj4rn.