Bolton slipped to bottom of the Premier League after goals from Marc Albrighton and Stiliyan Petrov helped Aston Villa bounce back to form at the Reebok.
Albrighton steered home a cross from the left and Petrov scored from 30 yards out in a one-sided first half.
Ivan Klasnic's turn and finish gave hope of a comeback but a late injury to the striker ended Bolton's chances.
Wigan's victory over West Brom leapfrogs them over Wanderers, while Villa are up to eighth.
The Midlanders will hope the victory will kickstart a campaign that looked to have hit the buffers, but the sense of trepidation enveloping the Reebok Stadium heading into the new year underlines the seriousness of the predicament facing Owen Coyle's men.
After a dreadful performance in the opening 45 minutes, they upped their game after the break and might have taken at least a point from the match.
Alex McLeish, perhaps mindful of the flak he has been taking from sections of the Villa support for a perceived negative style of play, handed starts to wingers Charles N'Zogbia and Albrighton.
Bolton had conceded 34 goals in 14 games before this - the worst defensive record in the Premier League - so it was perhaps a sound judgement by McLeish.
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