Consumer confidence is rebounding ahead of the new year, undoing the damage caused by the Washington D.C. political showdowns in the late fall.

The Conference Board reported Tuesday that its index of consumer confidence had jumped to 78.1 in December, increasing from 72.0 in November and beating analysts’ expectations. The index is now near the level it was before the 16-day government shutdown and debt limit standoff in October (the index stood at 80.2 in September).