I think since you're "new" you get a grace period of a couple parties :-) I always use to dread going to my husband's office parties but eventually I got to know one or two people well enough so I could hang out with them each year. My own office parties I was in the central office so did know more people but when I was new, I felt awkward because I didn't know many, especially from the other offices, and I felt I "should" of since I was in accounting and did payroll, etc. Most people grouped together by their group and I got so each Christmas party I visited the different tables for a moment or two and greeted those I knew and "accepted" greetings from those I didn't (returning the greeting) and it worked out okay.

I think just giving a bit of attention, "showing up" in a sense, is all people have time for so don't think a person rude or avoiding them if they make that momentary connection and say, "Hi." If it's not people you work directly with, I treat them kind of like I do nice store clerks :-) and am friendly but talk about "common" things rather than ask about their lives/children, etc. I think it sounds like you did marvelously.

Oh, one of my first summer picnics with my husband's office, I'd had medical problems which people knew and asked how I was, etc. even though they didn't know me well -- I think lots of comments by people we don't know are just hand-me-down information/inquiries to be "nice" but don't require in-depth responses. The other people have the advantage of knowing more about us than we do about them but I don't think they expect we then learn "comparable" amount about them, just taking the time to answer any questions they have is fine? Sometimes there are little "shorthand" meetings/greetings you can remember from year to year; one woman where my husband worked had kids reading Harry Potter when I was reading Harry Potter and so Harry Potter became a topic of conversation the next time we saw each other nearly a year later :-)