One thing to be very wary of is counterfeits. The Hakko products are known targets. I bought my 888 off of Amazon, but 1) I verified the seller as an authorized Hakko retailer, at the Hakko site, before making my purchase and 2) I verified the device when I received it. There are instructions for doing the verification, on the internet. The tips are also faked... But, you may not need to buy those, immediately, if a chisel point comes with the station.
The Arduino products are faked, too. But, their clones seem to do an acceptable job, at a much better price point.
Stocking Stuffers
The Hakko 888 kit will likely come with a wet sponge and a brass sponge. I prefer the brass.
Flux and solder. Look on this forum, for recommendations. The good stuff can be more expensive than you might expect. Don't go cheap. Learn the difference between leaded soldered and lead-free solder. Leaded flows much better, but lead-free may be safer. You will have to make the call. Read the threads on this forum about the differences.
You might want to throw in a "Bread Board." Some of those are absolute junk, so maybe look at the Amazon ratings and comments, as opposed to buying off of Ebay, with no information.
YouTube has lots of good videos on correct soldering techniques. You will have to weed out the rookies. Check out the NASA (yes, the real NASA) series; it is a good place to start.
Making a LED Array Jig can really help with building a light cube. Look on YT, for DIY instructions. The trick is not just lining up the LED bulbs, but also offsetting the pin leads, vertically, to prevent contact shorts.
And, Merry Christmas!