 | Playmate of the Month: Patricia Farinelli, photographed by Ken Marcus Abbondanza! | Patricia Farinelli is an Italian-American main dish not found in any cookbooks |
 | The World of Playboy (with Playmates Marcy Hanson, Missy Cleveland, Victoria Cooke, Lorraine Michaels and Terri Welles) |
| Dear Playboy | |
 | Playboy Viewpoint: Georgia on Our Minds | Or, why should there be sexual information in the media when there are plenty of bathroom walls?, by Kevin Cook |
| Playboy After Hours | |
| Playboy’s Travel Guide: Fare Play | Discount offers, bonus gimmicks, cut-rate charters? You gotta have savvy, by Stephen Birnbaum | |
| The Playboy Advisor | |
 | Dear Playmates (Marcy Hanson, Jeana Tomasino, Vicki McCarty, Karen Price, Cathy Larmouth and Lisa Welch) |
| The Playboy Forum | |
 | Playboy Interview: Henry Fonda | A candid conversation with the legendary actor about his kids, his marriages, his movies and his pals — and about growing old after 56 years in the business |
 | Article: Atlanta: The Evidence of Things Not Seen | When a city lives so long in the shadow of terrifying violence, the crime grows greater than the deaths, the victims more numerous than the dead, by James Baldwin, illustrated by Vincent Topazio |
 | Pictorial Essay: Beguiling Bernadette | The Peters principle is to look good in any era, photographed by Tom Stabler |
 | Essay: The Buddy System | In praise of that age-old method of enduring our trials and tribulations — hanging out with the guys, by Geoffrey Norman, illustrated by Scott Gustafson |
 | Gifts: Playboy’s Christmas Gift Guide | Exceptional goodies that make giving and getting a yule delight, photographed by Don Azuma |
 | Article: Anatomy of a Corporate Take-Over | It’s the business world’s equivalent of a political coup. At its best, it’s accomplished without bloodshed, by Richard Phalon, illustrated by Robert Krogle |
 | Pictorial: Captured Women | A portfolio of pictures that describe what Jeff Dunas means when he thinks female, by Jeff Dunas |
 | Fiction: The Adventurer | Gallagher intended to celebrate by looking up an old flame — an almost perfect blonde. It seemed like a good idea at the time, by Bruce Jay Friedman, illustrated by Carl Kock |
 | Humor: Christmas at Mr. Bill’s | In the spirit of the season, Playboy presents your favorite superhero, by Walter Williams |
 | Article: Confessions of a Cocaine Cowboy | He went from rags to riches and then blew it all away — now he’s rising from the dust with a holy vengeance, by Thomas “Hollywood” Henderson with Walter Lowe Jr., illustrated by LeRoy Neiman |
 | Humor: Playboy’s Party Jokes |
 | Fiction: The Sunken Woman | He watched her that evening as closely as he dared, and he thought that he might fall in love with her, by Joyce Carol Oates, illustrated by Mel Ooom |
 | Attire: Informally Formal | Four looks that don’t turn you into a penguin when the option is black tie, by David Platt, photographed by Richard Fegley |
 | Verse: Playboy’s Christmas Cards | Missives and missiles for the jolly season, by Tom Koch, with cartoons by Eldon Dedini, Lou Brooks, Gahan Wilson, Buck Brown, and Harvey Kurtzman and Will Elder (as WEHK) |
 | 20 Questions: John Kenneth Galbraith | The respected liberal takes stock of our current conservatism, talks about the last time he was propositioned and confesses that one of the benefits of celebrity is that everyone accepts his personal check |
 | Sports: Playboy’s College Basketball Preview | Our pre-season picks for the country’s top teams and talent, by Anson Mount |
 | Humor: Prayboy: Entertainment for Far-Righteous Men | by Tony Hendra and David Kaestle |
 | Article: American Beauties | So long, Scott and Zelda — hello Peter and Cheryl, by Laurence Shames, illustrated by Richard Bernstein |
 | Pictorial: And the Playmates Sing | Our captivating centerfold carolers make their national television debut on a George Burns Christmas special |
 | Humor: Kliban’s Dancers | Remember when loving couples held each other and danced? Now dancing couples hold each other and love, by Bernard Kliban |
 | Pictorial: Sex Stars of 1981 | Here you are: a bit of Brooke, a dash of Derek and an order of Miles to go, plus other faces and figures worth a long look this year, by Jim Harwood (with Playmates Missy Cleveland and Terri Welles) |
 | Ribald Classic: The Better Tail | From Latysskie Nardodnye Skazki: Skazki O Zivotnyx, RIga, adapted and retold by Cynthia Carey, illustrated by Brad Holland |
 | Verse: Rosalie’s Good Eats Cafe | by Shel Silverstein, illustrated by Brad Holland |
 | Humor: Playboy Funnies (Holistic Harry, The Loner, Christmas Countdown, Meaty Myths, Dirty Duck) |
 | Playboy Potpourri | People, places, objects and events of interest or amusement |
 | Satire: Little Annie Fanny, by Harvey Kurtzman and Will Elder |
 | Playboy on the Scene: Drink | The spirits of Christmas, photographed by Don Azuma |
 | Playboy on the Scene: Fashion | Dressed foot forward, by David Platt, photographed by Verser Engelhard |
 | Playboy on the Scene: Gadgets | Beeps, butane and fresh air waves |
 | Playboy on the Scene: Grapevine (Brooke Shields, Judas Priest, Mariangela Melato, Ted Nugent, George Hamilton, Goldie Hawn, Patti D’Arbanville) |
 | Playboy on the Scene: Sex News |
 Alden Erikson |  Bernard Kliban |  Doug Sneyd |  Eldon Dedini |
 Francis Wilford Smith |  Gahan Wilson |  John Dempsey |  John Dempsey |
 Rowland Wilson |  Phil Interlandi |  Eldon Dedini |
 Playmate Calendar ad |  Merchandise ad |  Playboy Guide ad |  What Sort of Man Reads Playboy? |
 Subscription ad (with Playmate Lisa Welch) |
Pipe and PJs 