A working chimney could be a giveaway , so they endured smoke - filled rooms which were kept bare of lootable belongings , sleeping on the floor and hid their belongings in niches in the walls .
A working chimney could be a giveaway , so they endured smoke - filled rooms which were kept bare of lootable belongings . 
 Tradition promises that everyone slept on the floor and hid their belongings in niches in the walls .