The housing market appears to be cooling off slightly in Houston, but home prices are still climbing, especially in towns that were once considered to be way out in the boonies, per an Axios analysis of Zillow data.

Driving the news: Home prices are expected to increase in the greater Houston area anywhere between 0.9% and 4.5% over the next year, based on competing predictions from Zillow and Realtor.com.

Why it matters: It's constantly becoming more expensive to be a homebuyer, even in the suburbs. New homebuyers will have to compromise on location, mortgage payments and house features.

Zoom in: Zillow data shows that average home prices increased by more than 12% near Galveston between July and October.

• Houses near Dayton and Liberty County east of Houston, as well as houses in Sealy and Bellville west of Houston, all increased about 3%.
• Compared with other Houston-area ZIP codes, homes in ZIP code 77011, which includes Magnolia Park in the East End, saw the biggest drop in prices at 3.4%.

Meanwhile: Other Texas cities saw a bigger drop in home prices. Some of Austin's suburbs saw a decrease of more than 6% in home prices between July and October.

Yes, but: Even as home prices increase in Houston — the median single-family home in October was $330,500, which was 35% higher than in February 2020 — the city remains one of the more affordable metros.

• Austin's median cost of a home is about $480,000.

Go deeper: Browse our interactive graphic to see how prices have changed in your ZIP code.

Houston has a burning passion for libraries, apparently.

Driving the news: Houston Google searched "public library near me" more than anywhere else in the country, according to new search trends data released by the search engine last week.

• For the record, you're likely going to find results for both the Houston and Harris County public libraries — which collectively operate dozens of branches across Greater Houston.

Yes, but: The top overall "near me" search was for "gas prices," according to Google. The second top search was "cheapest gas," which — let's be honest — is basically the same thing.

Next up, we searched:

• Pilates
• AA meetings
• Estate sales
• Plasma center
• Passport photos
• Car detailing

Houstonians also hopped on the viral TikTok trend of grinder sandwiches, which was the top recipe searched.

• The top animal searched was the Pallas's cat, and the top music genre was rap.

💭 Jay's thought bubble: I had never heard of a Pallas's cat until today and procrastinated for 10 minutes writing this newsletter after doing my own Google search.

• Check out this explainer on the wild small cats and learn why their special eyes make many people view them as their spirit animal.

🚀 NASA's Artemis I mission concluded successfully Sunday with the space capsule splashing down in the Pacific Ocean. The mission was the first of many that will eventually put humans back on the moon. (Houston Chronicle)

🔫 Houston-based online company Texas Guns and Roses is facing a lawsuit from the other Guns N' Roses over alleged copyright infringement. The small business sells firearms, ammunition and flowers. (Houston Public Media)

🏳️‍🌈 In Houston and throughout the state, drag shows are increasingly becoming a right-wing target amid rising extremism. (Texas Tribune)

The Houston Grand Opera brings back "El Milagro del Recuerdo" (The Miracle of Remembering) this holiday season after its success in 2019.

Driving the show: "El Milagro del Recuerdo" is a mariachi opera that follows two families in 1962 in Michoacán, Mexico, struggling with the absence of their husbands and fathers, who are in the U.S. as part of the Bracero visa program.

• The families put on the pastorela, a Mexican tradition of reenacting a Christmas story.
• The opera explores concepts of the American dream and what it means to be separated from your family.

Context: "El Milagro del Recuerdo" is the second mariachi opera to be commissioned by HGO and only the third mariachi opera to ever be written.

If you go: The show runs till Dec. 18. Tickets range from $30 to $107.

👋 Shafaq here. I saw this show on opening night and had high expectations after my mom and sister enjoyed it in 2019.

💭 My thought bubble: Although my family's immigration story is very different from those of the Mexican families in the show, I found similarities. And it was beautiful to see those stories on a grand stage.

Yes, but: I'm not an opera expert, but the show lacked some heart for me.

• Maybe it was because the opera was in a smaller theater, or 78 minutes was too short, or the audio didn't fill the room, but I didn't feel it had as high a production quality as the other operas I've seen at the HGO.

My highlights: I loved the comedic reliefs and when the priest was contemplating his life choices.

• But my favorite part was hearing how the people around me appreciated the show.
• I met two young girls who said it was their first time at the opera and that it was magical and "the best thing ever."

The bottom line: "El Milagro del Recuerdo" was an enjoyable holiday-themed opera.

💼 Check out who's hiring around the city.

1. Director, Public Affairs at LSG.
2. Operations Manager at Pacific Dental Services.
3. Principal Product Owner at Discover.

Want more opportunities? Check out our Job Board.

Hiring? Post a job.

👋 Jay here! I visited Lights in the Heights this weekend and wanted to share my favorite house lit up for the holidays.

Why it matters: Houston is full of dazzling light displays this holiday season, and the Heights didn't hold back.

• The "Love Boat"-themed house won best theme and made such an impression on me that I had to share.

What we're watching: Check out the rest of this week's newsletter for holiday light displays.