I thought about doing the 1-2 day shipping, but I am not sure how long you guys take to ship it.

Generally The priority shipping of Antworks products is fine as long as the heat pack/cold pack option and the priority shipping is picked

Are the ants already going to be in the ant farm gel when they are shipped or are they in a separate container?

Yes ants are shipped in a separate vial.  They are not added to the Nasa gel,  You get to do that as that is part of the fun

How long can they live in the container if they are separate from the gel upon arrival?

It Is best to put the ants inside the habitat as soon as possible as this ensures better results.  Who likes being stuck in a small container!!

 I don’t want my son to miss out on the first few days they go into their new home so I would like to get it within a day or two of Christmas.  Please advise me as to when the best day to order and which option to ensure I receive this a couple days before Christmas and that I am covered under the Live ants guarantee.  We cannot give you a best time to order,  We are putting a section on our checkout on when you want this shipped.  This will allow you to choose your approximate shipping date.

What some customers do is have it shipped 10 days prior as during the Christmas time there can be delays @ the post office.

Which color is the easiest to see the ants?

All of the colors on the habitats are really easy to see through so you should have no problem Blue 3-d Ant Gel though I personally think is the easiest.

No we cannot.  It is illegal to ship Queens .