We tend to go to celebrations instead of hosting them...there are some pretty severe pet allergies among the extended family and we have a couple of cats and a dog in the house. If we host, it's usually the picnic holidays where we can set out picnic tables and fire up the grill and the kitchen is mostly just a source of condiments and a place to stack dirty utensils until later.
When I was growing up I was part of the 'dish crew.' Grandpa was a chef and all of his kids worked for him at some point, and family gatherings could have easily been a matter of too many cooks in the kitchen, except that Grandma's kitchen was so small nobody fit into it but her once she started cooking! She and granddad always provided the main dish, drinks, and the gathering place. The rest of us brought everything else, usually ready to pop into the oven for the final reheating.
The women in the family would raid cabinets to set the table, the little kids would manage the silverware and drinks, the guys would set up the extra tables and chairs plus handle all of the serving and carving. After meals dishes would get stacked in the kitchen, the game would be turned on, and the family would settle down to socialize. There were three of us older granddaughters, skinnier back then and usually more than a little bored, and we could all fit into the kitchen as long as we were careful. Dishes were our way of getting to spend time together without the uncles or our mothers monitoring every word, and we would always spend a cheerful hour chattering with each other over the sink and dishwasher. By the time we were done Gran's kitchen was usually as close to normal as we could make it and we thought ourselves clever for escaping all the teasing.
My grandparents are long gone, the house has been sold, and my fellow grandchildren are spread across the state, but I still have fond memories of being back in that kitchen, scrubbing away at a small mountain of dishes with my cousins.