Defoe was forced to miss the 3-1 defeat against Newcastle last weekend when he picked up a knee injury in the warm-up at St James' Park.
Tottenham were clearly affected by his absence, but the England striker made it a Christmas to remember for the Spurs fans when he netted two goals to keep alive their chances of securing another top-six finish.
Martin Jol's side have made White Hart Lane a fortress and this latest victory means they have now recorded 12 straight victories at home this season.
Steed Malbranque came close to opening the scoring for the home side after 11 minutes when he fired a half-volley just over the crossbar.
The home side continued to mount pressure on the Villa goal and Tom Huddlestone saw his 25-yard drive on 18 minutes produce a fantastic save from Gabor Kiraly, who did well to tip the ball over the bar.
Tottenham keeper Paul Robinson has come under fire following his blunders against Newcastle last weekend, but he was back to his best on 22 minutes when he prevented Craig Gardner breaking the deadlock with a low save to his left.
The game was crying out for a goal and Dimitar Berbatov almost answered the crowd's prayers when he raced through unchallenged on 33 minutes but struck the ball straight at Kiraly.
Aston Villa suffered a major blow on 37 minutes when defender Aaron Hughes was carried off on a stretcher following a clash with fellow defender Olof Mellberg.
And Tottenham almost capitalised with two golden chances on the stroke of half-time.
Defoe turned Mellberg inside the post on 43 minutes but fired his shot just wide of the post.
And just 60 seconds later, Berbatov found himself completely unmarked inside the box, but with the goal at his mercy his close-range shot was beaten away by the legs of Kiraly.
Things were to get even worse for Villa during the half-time interval when Mellberg failed to appear for the second half which meant a major re-shuffle for Martin O'Neil's side.
And Tottenham took full advantage when Defoe finally gave the Spurs fans a Christmas treat when he broke the deadlock on 58 minutes.
Berbatov raced unchallenged into the Villa half before playing a superb through-ball into the path of his strike partner. Defoe made no mistake firing the ball past Kiraly into the corner of the net.
And the England striker sealed all three points for the home side when he grabbed his second of the game on 77 minutes.
Berbatov once again turned provider when he flicked the ball into the path of Defoe on the edge of the box. Defoe still had it all to do, but he showed his predatory instincts when he smashed a fierce drive past the stranded Kiraly.
Gareth Barry pulled a goal back for Villa on 81 minutes when he turned Michael Dawson inside the area and slotted the ball into the corner of the net.
But it came too late for his side as Tottenham made it another memorable afternoon for the White Hart Lane faithful.