One word - magical.
We went on the 17th(?) Dec 2001, part started at 19:00 thru 00:30.
We arrived at 17:30, just dusk, and took the ferry to enjoy the sight before us; the castle was bathed in a pink/purple light, the GF was picture perfect and 000s of people were leaving!
We were told we couldn't get in without a park ticket before 19:00, no so when we got to the gate, we were ushered through and issued with red wristbands to idenify us as having tickets.
The tree at the entrance to Main St was huge, filled with sparkling stars, present and toys. Snow was falling in abundance, yet strangley warm(ish).
There were characters galore, everyone with a cheery glow. The atmosphere was one of warm and wonderment, the music just heightened the senses. The evening was spent at a gentle stroll, this wasn't about rides, this was Xmas in gold wrapped ribbons. We set up for the first parade at 20:00 just down from the Liberty Tree, just to the right of a fence. This gave us an uninterrupted view all the way from Splash Mountain round to the right hand turn at the Liberty Bell. The bonus of this was we saw the parade first and then followed the tail and headed off left to Fantasyland to enjoy a few rides with few queues.
The parade was huge, every character you could wish for was represented. Our daughter, Charlotte(2), nearly waved her arm off! We had the cookies and chocolate whilst watching the parade just to top the whole experience off.
The fireworks were indeed spectacular, at one point the whole park was surrounded by fireworks, just beyond the railtrack. Don't miss Rudolf's flight!
We left at 23:30 a very happy family.
Again - magical. You will love this night.