So West Ham are still without a home win and still rooted to the foot of the table.
And with the record books dictating that no side finding itself bottom on Christmas Day has ever escaped Premiership relegation, Glenn Roeder knows his team must now create history if they are to survive.
"There can be no better motivation for my players," insisted the Hammers boss after Michael Ricketts' controversial 64th minute goal wiped out Ian Pearce's opener to secure a precious point for struggling Bolton.
"I'm concerned we can't put our chances away, I'm concerned we're in bottom place, and I'm concerned that officials can't do their job." West Ham certainly started the brighter as Jermain Defoe, Michael Carrick and Pearce each threatened Jussi Jaaskelainen's goal inside a frantic opening ten minutes.
And on the quarter hour mark Hammers got their goal, their early pressure deserved when Pearce strode on to Defoe's flick on and drilled a low 15-yarder under the exposed Wanderers keeper.
Midway through the half, Henrik Pedersen's shot on the turn crashed back off David James' left hand upright and shortly afterwards the Hammers keeper produced a spectacular flying save to beat out Per Frandsen's scorching 25-yarder.
As the troubled Trotters tried to gallop back into the contest Jay-Jay Okocha's long ranger also deflected agonisingly wide and West Ham were relieved to hear the half time whistle.
Yet again, the Eastenders emerged brightly as Defoe was twice denied by Jaaskelainen early in the second half, while Carrick's scorcher was then brilliantly flicked aside.
When Sam Allardyce pitched on Ricketts, however, for Youri Djorkaeff it was to prove a telling switch.
For after 64 minutes the Bolton substitute collected Okocha's overhead return and planted the ball past the exposed James from eight yards as Hammers appealed in vain for a certain offside flag.
With a draw now back in the bag, Wanderers were in no mood to surrender and dogged defending ensured that they left Upton Park with a deserved point.
"It was a tremendous recovery and to get a point is a magnificent effort," smiled Allardyce.
"Everyone knows what being bottom at Christmas has done to other sides in the past so this has taken a bit of pressure off us."