Incase there was any confusion about this, Hollywood did not invent the scenario of a tongue getting stuck to a cold flagpole just for that compelling and cringeworthy scene in A Christmas Story. That is a real thing that will happen. Do not do it. In fact, do not put your tongue on a flagpole during any season, because that's gross.
But maybe kids are just somehow not seeing this classic movie on television when it runs for 24 hours a day during the holiday season? 12-year old Maddie Gilmartin of New Hampshire got her tongue stuck last week after wanting to "see what would happen" if she stuck her tongue to the flagpole in her yard. According to the Daily News, her "parents rushed to her aid when they saw her standing next to the flagpole, arms flailing." The girl tried to pull her tongue off at first, which led to bleeding (warm water eventually did the trick), and now it could take six months for her to recover.
As these two explain, this happens because "the thermal conductivity of an aluminum flag pole is high enough to remove heat energy from your tongue, freeze your saliva and hold you in place." Here they are showing what will happen, using pig tongues:
