| 0 | Mad | cover | 1 | pencils: Joe DeVito, Rick Tulka; inks: Joe DeVito, Rick Tulka | Alfred E. Neuman [as Santa Claus] |
| 1 | Christmas Carols for Dysfunctional Families | comic story | 3 | script: Frank Jacobs; pencils: Tom Bunk; inks: Tom Bunk | |
| 2 | Sure Signs Your Job Interview Isn’t Going Well | comic story | 1 | pencils: Al Jaffee; inks: Al Jaffee | |
| 3 | James Bond Villains’ Pet Peeves | comic story | 3 | script: Desmond Devlin; pencils: Drew Friedman; inks: Drew Friedman | |
| 4 | Melvin & Jenkins' Guide to Sportsmanship | comic story | 3 | script: Desmond Devlin; pencils: Kevin Pope; inks: Kevin Pope | |
| 5 | Fearless Predictions for 1998 | comic story | 3 | script: Desmond Devlin; pencils: Paul Coker; inks: Paul Coker | |
| 6 | G.I. Shame | comic story | 4 | script: Josh Gordon; pencils: Angelo Torres; inks: Angelo Torres | Demi Moore [as Jawclench O’Kneel]; Viggo Mortenson [as Joint Gargolyle]; Beetle Bailey (cameo); |
| 7 | If Truth in Packaging Laws Applied to Computer Software | comic story | 1 | script: Mike Snider; pencils: Charles Akins; inks: Charles Akins | |
| 8 | - | comic story | 2 | script: Duck Edwing; pencils: Peter Kuper; inks: Peter Kuper; letters: Peter Kuper | |
| 9 | Office Christmas Party Mistletoe Agreement | comic story | 2 | script: Barry Liebmann; pencils: Marshall Vandruff; inks: Marshall Vandruff | |
| 10 | Monroe &... Grampsy | comic story | 3 | script: Anthony Barbieri; pencils: Bill Wray; inks: Bill Wray | |
| 11 | The Lighter Side of... | comic story | 4 | script: Dave Berg; pencils: Dave Berg; inks: Dave Berg | |
| 12 | The World According to Carp | comic story | 1 | script: Duck Edwing; pencils: Duck Edwing; inks: Duck Edwing | |
| 13 | The Dallas Cowboys Off-the-Field Playbook | comic story | 2 | script: Andrew J. Schwartzberg; pencils: Gerry Gersten; inks: Gerry Gersten | |
| 14 | Americans are Smarter than Ever | comic story | 2 | script: Dennis Snee; pencils: Rick Geary; inks: Rick Geary | |
| 15 | Badly Needed CD Warning Labels: The Hip Hop Edition | comic story | 3 | script: Desmond Devlin | |
| 16 | Siskel & Ebert’s Trash Home Movies | comic story | 4 | script: Andrew J. Schwartzberg; pencils: Mort Drucker; inks: Mort Drucker | |
| 17 | A Mad Look at Soccer | comic story | 3 | script: Sergio Aragonés; pencils: Sergio Aragonés; inks: Sergio Aragonés | |
| 18 | Mad's Celebrity Cause-of-Death Betting Odds | comic story | 1 | script: Mike Snider; pencils: James Warhola; inks: James Warhola | Martha Stewart |
| 19 | What Hot Hollywood Trend Has Many Americans Gasping? | illustration | 1 | script: Al Jaffee; pencils: Al Jaffee; inks: Al Jaffee; colors: Al Jaffee | |